In the 1980s, in lieu of a wedding ring, French sculptor Bernar Venet bent and looped a thin silver band around the ring finger of his soon-to-be-wife Diane. It was a playful, spontaneous act, but one that kindled in its recipient a fascination with artist-crafted jewelry. As she recalled, it drew her toward “the too-little-known world of these unique objets d’art, priceless for their rarity, and the symbolic meaning that is often the genesis of their creation.”
Over the next three decades, Diane Venet would build one of the most enviable collections of artist jewelry, numbering upwards of 220 pieces. Among them are creations by Dalí, Picasso, Braque, Lichtenstein, and Koons, as well as some others commissioned by Venet herself. So vast is the collector’s trove that it’s filled exhibitions, notably at New York’s Museum of Arts and Design in 2011 and Paris’s Les Arts Décoratifs in 2018, among other shows.
Salvador Dalí, (1957). Courtesy of the artist. Photo: Philippe Servent, Collection Diane Venet.
It’s now set for another outing, at the Norton Museum of Art in Palm Beach, Florida, in April. The exhibition, titled “Artists’ Jewelry: From Cubism to Pop,” will see more than 150 objects from Venet’s collection displayed alongside companion works by the same artists, pulled from the museum’s holdings.
“Diane Venet’s collection is second to none,” said Ghislain d’Humières, the museum’s director and CEO, in a statement. “The necklaces, rings, brooches, earrings, headpieces, and more that she has collected feature incredible details rendered in interesting materials by some of the most famous artists of our time.”
Pablo Picasso, (1973). Courtesy of the artist. Photo: Sherry Griffin, Collection Diane Venet
Gathered here is a veritable who’s who of modern and contemporary art. Jean Cocteau and Picasso offer parallel gold recreations of a human face on a brooch and pendant respectively; Niki de Saint Phalle’s signature Nana figure is reimagined in gold and multi-colored enamel; Dalí has similarly installed his trademark clock on the head of a hair brooch.
Niki de Saint Phalle, (1991). Courtesy of the artist. Collection Diane Venet.
Elsewhere are rings by Frank Stella, Lowell Nesbitt, and Rashid Johnson, as well as a bracelet by Lucio Fontana and a rare geometric necklace by Meret Oppenheim, one of only nine produced.
The line-up, noted the museum, boasts artists who were prolific jewelry makers like Calder as much as those who created one-of-a-kind works, including Stella. These pieces also bear out a diversity of craftsmanship—some are dotted with precious stones, some created out of hammered metals, while others were made from non-traditional materials (see John Chamberlain’s aluminum and paint design).
John Chamberlain, (1998). Courtesy of the artist. Photo: Philippe Gontier, Collection Diane Venet.
“Since the beginning of humanity, individuals have adorned themselves with fine metals and precious stones—as modes of class distinction and personal expression,” said J. Rachel Gustafson, the museum’s chief curatorial operations and research officer. “This exhibition bridges the gap between craft and fine art, two creative forms that seldom intersect or are interpreted within one exhibition.”
Man Ray, (1974). Courtesy of the artist. Photo: Alain Leprince, Collection Diane Venet.
Woven through these objects, too, are personal narratives, particularly Venet’s. Man Ray’s sculptural mask, Optic Topic (1974), one of the show’s centerpieces, was snapped up by Venet for her husband. Originally conceived as a pair of gold sunglasses, the Dada pioneer’s final design instead obscures its wearer’s vision, giving new meaning to the word “mask.” Throughout the show are also gems that emerge from Venet’s friendship with artists including Stella and Rauschenberg, from whom she received an avant-garde brooch. The coiled wedding ring she received from Bernar is included here, too.
These displays will be accompanied by paintings, sculptures, and photographs to further contextualize the objects, and a sound-based work by Sheila Concari, which features audio snippets of Venet’s reflections on her remarkable collection.
Bernar Venet, (1985). Courtesy of the artist. Photo: Damian Noszkowicz, Collection Diane Venet.
“The story of this collection is largely that of my friendships in the art world over the past 40 years,” said Venet in a statement. “In my rather itinerant life, this collection of jewelry is thus an intimate museum that I can take everywhere with me and the treasure trove which I can find on my return home.”
“Artists’ Jewelry: From Cubism to Pop, the Diane Venet Collection” is on view at the Norton Museum of Art, 1450 S Dixie Hwy, West Palm Beach, Florida, April 12–October 5.
Source: Exhibition - news.artnet.com
