Sotheby’s Art As Jewelry As Art Exhibition/Sale

Sotheby’s has produced amazing exhibitions and exhibitions/sales. From her London’s Tiara exhibition, held to celebrate the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee from May 28 to June 15, 2022, to the two editions of Brilliant & Black: The Age of Enlightenment at the new Sotheby’s New York exhibition entitled Art as jewelry as artthe auction house presented history, royalty, past, present and future and the most revolutionary jewelry design.

The exhibition Art as jewelry as art explores the movement that became known in the 20th century as wearable art. Louise Nevelson, Alexander Calder, Claude Lalanne, George Braque, Lucio Fontana, Pol Bury, Kiki Smith, Salvador Dalí, Pablo Picasso, Max Ernst, Jesús Rafael Soto James de Givenchy Suzanne Syz are just some of the masters of this world of jewellery. whose works are featured in the exhibition/sale.

According to Tiffany Dubin, Artist Jewelry Specialist and Head of Sales, Art as jewelry as art. “This selection of artists’ jewelery aims to reintroduce these works to the discerning collector in a new context, and as a category of art defined for a collection that is not only intended for adornment, but also as a means of decoration. self-expression,” she added. continues: “These works were not made to be stored in a drawer, a vanity or a safe; they were meant to be celebrated on the body in a dynamic and interactive way. The way we define ourselves and the art we connect with is integral to who we are and is what ultimately defines us as creative beings. Those who forge their path as collectors will also embrace the vision that has guided me in bringing together these original and beautiful works that will only increase in value over time.

The exhibition is organized into what Sotheby’s describes as nine chapters that explore different aspects of jewelery as art.

I have paraphrased the Sotheby’s descriptions to include the different chapters of the auction.

“Jewellery like… Kinetics incorporated movement and was an important artistic movement in the late 1950s and 1960s. Artists experimented with geometric shapes, creating static works, but giving the viewer a sense of movement.

Alexander Calder is renowned for his kinetic mobiles and monumental sculptures. Yet he also designed and created approximately 1,800 pieces of wearable art in the form of jewelry, eight of which are included in this sale. A highlight of the group is the famous Lady Kenneth Clark Tiara, a unique brass work dating from 1937-38, named after its first owner and bearer, Lady Clark, the wife of English art historian and former director of the National Gallery in London, Sir Kenneth Clark ( photo on front page, estimate $200/300,000). Featuring Calder’s signature spiral design, this significant piece has appeared in various retrospectives and jewelry exhibitions at leading art and design institutions such as the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris and the Cooper Hewitt Museum in New York. . “

Jewelry as…Abstract expressionism took root In Italy, the movement found itself at the School of Rome with a group of artists active from the 1930s to the 1950s. This collaboration lasted more than thirty years and has been credited with giving new life to goldsmithing in the post-war Italy. An early group of Abstract Expressionist works is offered, highlighted by a circa 1965 Gold link bracelet for Masenza-Roma by Franco Cannilla.

Jewelry Like…Sculpture explored three-dimensional design that appeals to both visual and tactile senses. Known for his radical object compression technique and whimsical depictions of animals and insects, French sculptor César Baldaccini often compacted various objects to produce his totemic sculptures. He used similar techniques when making jewelry, just on a smaller scale, as seen in a signature Pendant ‘Compression’.

Jewelry as… Surrealism. This movement has been seen in art and literature. He sought to unleash the creative potential of the unconscious, using dreamlike scenes, symbolic images and illogical juxtapositions to contrast the real and the unreal. Spanish artist Salvador Dalí is synonymous with the surrealist movement. Although perhaps most famous for his 1931 landscape painting The Persistence of Memory, which now resides in the Museum of Modern Art in New York, Dali worked in many other mediums including sculpture, fashion, film and jewelry. We highlighted this chapter with a pair of earrings designed by Dalí in 1949, entitled Persistance du son en 18 carats gold. The earrings resemble two melting telephone handsets, much like her famous painting depicts melting clocks. Other artists in this chapter include Man Ray, Louise Bourgeois and Méret Oppenheim.

Igood as vanguard pushed the boundaries of acceptable and contested standards and boldly led the arts in new directions. Proponents of this movement include Jean Cocteau, Pablo Picasso, and Max Ernst, who upended traditional notions of jewelry by experimenting with new materials and techniques. Two gold pendants designed by Ernst lead the proposed group, both appearing at auction for the first time. They are offered by the artist’s family, including his Tête à Cornes – one of the artist’s most recognizable objects and part of his collaboration with the famous silversmith François Hugo in the late 1950s.

Jjewelry as Maverick… refers to an individual who acts independently of a tradition. Many bold artists have ventured into new territory and embraced new approaches and a commitment to seeing their work seen in new ways. The sale highlights independent individuals who have stepped out of the mold by creating jewelry as art and demonstrating a “maverick” style of artistic expression. This chapter is led by a “double barrel” gold, diamond and onyx ring designed by Ettore Sottsass for Cleto Munari — one of the first pieces belonging to their collaboration in the 1980s.

Jewelry like…Minimalism was seen as a philosophical reaction to modern art movements like Abstract Expressionism. The artistic style was prevalent among American visual artists in the 1960s and early 1970s and artists around the world who took a stripped down approach in their work to a lesser degree, including the creation of art jewelry.

Jewelry like…Modernism represented the post-war movement and developed a streamlined aesthetic, with more streamlined designs differentiating new designs from the heavy jewelry of the 1940s. This created an atmosphere of experimentation and divergence from tradition. artistic. Throughout Europe and America, artists used materials such as gold, silver, and gemstones in innovative ways while showcasing undervalued mediums like wood, plastic, and enamel. The modernist jewelry in this sale features pieces by Andrew Grima, Alan Gard, Charles de Temple and Jean Vendome. The exhibition/auction includes a set of Echo style diamonds, rutilated quartz and 18k gold necklace and earrings from Vendôme.

Jewelry as…visionaries today continues to look beyond current trends and imagine what the legacies of the future will be. Visionary jewelry designers create powerful, personal, inspiring and ambitious works while exploring new ways for jewelry to interact with the individual who wears it. James de Givenchy is an acknowledged visionary whose work will be a classic reference for future generations, just as we now look to early jewelry artists such as Suzanne Belperron (1900-1983), who pioneered a new jewelry aesthetic.

The exhibit/auction will end at 5:00 PM EST on October 4th^eso if you are interested in any of these pieces and you live near Sotheby’s New York, take a tour to see it and if you are interested in bidding you can do so online or in person.