This is an excerpt from PALMER Vol. 8. To read the full story, click here to purchase the issue.
The desire to wear jewelry is one of humankind’s oldest forms of self-expression. It’s no wonder that over millennia, jewelry has evolved into a dazzling array of styles and meanings. In its infancy, it consisted of simple necklaces, headpieces, and bracelets crafted from shells, flowers, and twigs, celebrating nature’s bounty. As time progressed, jewelry became a symbol of wealth and power, worn by kings and queens, and governed by strict sumptuary laws in the Western world.
With the advent of new skills, technologies, and materials, jewelry continued to metamorphose. By the 19th century, it had become accessible to both the wealthy elite and the average person, categorized into an exciting tapestry of types: precious, semi-precious, costume, everyday, symbolic, royal, fashion, and, by century’s end, a true expression of art.
Fast forward to the artistically energetic midcentury, when a conviction that all forms of art are created equal ignited a revolution in jewelry-making. Visionaries like Pablo Picasso, Max Ernst, Lucio Fontana, Man Ray, Salvador Dalí, Georges Braque, and Niki de Saint Phalle jumped into the fray, viewing jewelry as an extension of their artistic practices. This marked the intersection of art and adornment, where each piece became a bold statement, reflecting the era’s dynamic spirit. Although several renowned artists ventured into the realm of wearable art, artist-made jewelry—that is, jewelry made by artists known for other mediums—is quite uncommon.
Mask: “Optic Topic,” 1974, by Man Ray. Earring: “Moon,” 1971, by Fausto Melotti. Necklace: “Untitled,” 1968, by Lucio Del Pezzo. Brooch: “Elica Vermeil,” 1992, by Giacomo Balla. Bracelet (on left wrist): “Hula Hoop,” 2017, by Pablo Reinoso. Brooch (in left hand): “Monday,” 2012, by Ugo Rondinone. Bracelet (on right wrist): “Untitled,” 1940s, by Gino Severini. Rings: “Untitled,” 1984–1986, Meret Oppenheim, and “Accumulation De Clous et Vis,” 1967, by Arman.
Most existing pieces are owned by a select few, deeply tucked away in private collections. Frequently, these items are personal gifts or family heirlooms. They remain largely unknown to the public; in fact, there are very few places where people can go and see artists’ jewelry. If you visit London, you could encounter it at Didier Ltd or Louisa Guinness Gallery; in Paris, at Galerie MiniMasterpiece. If you went to one of the great art fairs you could run into Didier Ltd there: Design Miami in Florida, The Winter Show in New York, or TEFAF Maastricht in the Netherlands. Museums that show jewelry might have a piece or two on view, but generally do not have generous displays in which visitors can educate themselves.
Diane Venet, who possesses some of the most exceptional artists’ jewelry in existence, presents a unique opportunity to experience this art form in breadth and depth. Her new exhibition, Artists’ Jewelry: From Cubism to Pop, the Diane Venet Collection, will be on view at the Norton Museum of Art through October 5. It will showcase over 150 pieces of artists’ jewelry, created by approximately 140 of the most prominent artists from the 20th and 21st centuries, displayed alongside their paintings, sculptures, works on paper, and photographs.
Diane Venet wearing necklace, “Vase Fleuri, Lierre,” 2022, by Wang Kepling, and ring, “Untitled,” 2023, by Phillip King.
Venet has shown her collection more than a dozen times since she began her journey as a collector in the late 1980s, with her jewelry previously exhibited across Europe, Asia, and North America. “Sharing my passion is my happiness,” she wrote to me from her home in Paris. “I hope that the visitors will understand that they have entered a new world and an intimacy with the artists. These works are rare, and they are precious only because of their symbolic content, which is at the origin of their creation.”
Hair brooch: “Montre Petite Cuillère,” 1957, by Salvador Dalí. Eye brooch: “L’oeil,” 1991, by Niki de Saint Phalle. Lip brooch: “Untitled (Labbra),” 2012, by Jannis Kounellis. Earrings: “Untitled,” 1950s, by Afro. Ring: “Untitled,” 1940s, by Alexander Calder. Brooch (in right hand): “Cucumber,” 2014, by Erwin Wurm. Necklace (in right hand): “Hopeakuu (Silver Moon),” 1970, by Tapio Wirkkala. Brooch (on ground): “Crawling Baby,” 1989, by Keith Haring.
Venet’s fascination with jewelry began in childhood, sparked by the bracelets and medals she received, which captured her imagination. As a teenager in Paris, she developed a penchant for distinctive jewelry, favoring large costume pieces that others were often hesitant to wear. In the 1960s, at an opening of a Roy Lichtenstein exhibition in New York, she purchased her first piece of artists’ jewelry: a brooch by the artist, for just $3.
Years later, in the mid-’80s, the French sculptor Bernar Venet proposed to her with a thinly rolled piece of silver he had fashioned into a ring, and her passion for artists’ jewelry was born. They married and moved to New York, where she mingled with his artistic circle. Among them was the esteemed collector and gallerist Joan Sonnabend, whose husband, Roger Sonnabend, was part of the real estate group that owned Sonesta Hotels, including the Plaza Hotel.
From 1973 to 1977, Sonnabend operated an artists’ jewelry gallery out of the Plaza, “Sculpture to Wear,” which showcased works by celebrated artists such as Alexander Calder, Jean Arp, Man Ray, Pol Bury, and Picasso. This gallery played a pivotal role in establishing the market for artists’ jewelry that continues to flourish today. Venet admired Sonnabend’s discerning taste, and the two quickly became close friends, with Sonnabend also serving as mentor. She acquired numerous pieces from Sonnabend, forming the foundation of her growing collection. Venet also met GianCarlo Montebello, who, along with Teresa Pomodoro (sister of sculptors and goldsmiths Arnaldo and Giò Pomodoro), was a key figure in the artists’ jewelry scene.
Between 1967 and 1978, Montebello and Pomodoro operated a business under the name GEM Montebello, focusing on creating jewelry editions by artists and collaborating with more than 50 leading figures of the time, including Fontana, Jesús Rafael Soto, César, Arman, Ettore Sottsass, and de Saint Phalle. Sonnabend had the rights to sell GEM’s creations in the United States, providing her clients with invaluable access. With these connections, Venet found herself at an epicenter of opportunity for amassing the best pieces of artists’ jewelry in the world.
This is an excerpt from PALMER Vol. 8. To read the full story, click here to purchase the issue.