Susan Grant Lewin: Art Jewelry for a Pledge
kristine larsen Susan Grant Lewin: Art Jewelry for a pledge. a for museum directors eager by determined courted being and practitioners, American supporting well as renown—as international of artists of some 700 pieces by collection— her about spoke to 1960s and ’70s. Lewin trips theto in Denmark objects on business unique, wearable art the bug for acquiring Today Jewelry Art American of a Kind: One doyenne and author of relations public The blouinARTINF , 1994, caught O .C OM Deborah Wilk |
June 2014 Art+A uc tion
of i wearall hundred dollars andwhatashow of thesamematerial. It’s onlyacouple plastic linksfastenedbyacarabiner Arthur Hash’s 2011necklaceofmolded because itisrelativelyaffordable—take collecting. Itwasaperfectareafor me art jewelryIsawthere, andIstarted really takenbythevintageScandinavian furniture fairinCopenhagen. Iwas Internazionale delMobile—wasthebig all attended—beforeMilan’s Salone and oneofthebigtradeexhibitionswe ago. I was aneditoratHouseBeautiful, It’s artinjewelryformat. rare orpreciousmetalsstones. and materials, ratherthanshowcasing is aboutartistryandprocess, expression one-of-a-kind pieces. The practice thing Iownisbyanartistwhomakes I dofindsimplegemsboring. Every but hemadeaseriouspoint: Typically, said, “You Larsen madeabeelineformeand necklace, [textiledesigner]JackLenor a cocktailpartywearingpearl the leastbitshy. Once, whenIwentto I started collecting 30 or 40 years I startedcollecting30or40years ? Inpearls?” Itwasfunny, it . Often. I’mnot
work toEuropean museums, allowing my thoughtistogive American promote American artists. Currently, international, butI’malsotryingto V&A. Mycollectionis extremely jewelry, art inrivalry withLondon’s Munich maybethebestmuseumfor The PinakothekderModernein artists gettingthebulkofattention. Europe, withDutchandGerman and museumsinnorthernmiddle well supportedbybothcollectors encouraging themtouseitinnewways. because IwouldbringthemFormica, tomeetartistspersonally chance uses forthematerial. Itwasagreat Corporation, researchinginnovative House Beautiful, IworkedforFormica who makeupthefield. AfterIleft the breadthofinternationalartists work prettyquicklyandlearnedabout participates butme. decision. This ismycollection. Nobody the purchasehavingtobeafamily allowed metoacquirethingswithout stopper. Art-jewelry collectingalso The art-jewelry community is really The art-jewelrycommunityisreally I movedpasttheScandinavian obsessions
hangs a piece of of apiece hangs steel cord. astainless- on artist the by frame carved a picture by by 2006 in made ring, silver, and enamel gold, the of name Babetto Giampaolo by Italian artist 1976 in made gold bracelet was Turin-born 91-year-old, gold necklace by a20-karat wears The collector 1986, a necklace Zanella in 2005. Her Her 2005. in made Respiri, Due , called Martinazzi Otto Künzli Annamaria . Fragment, Fragment, . . Silk is the the is . Silk
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Left to right, top to bottom: Sandra Enterline’s Perforated Disc necklace, 2010; Petra Zimmer mann’s Austrian brooch, 2010; Joe Wood’s Re-shell 3 brooch, 2008; Kiff Slemmons’s Ojo de “The category is definitely expanding; I feel lucky Agua necklace, 2011; Zanella‘s Silk necklace, 2006; to have gotten in on the ground floor.” Arthur Hash’s Rhino3D modeled the appropriate comparisons to be than go to an artist’s studio, listen I just received a seminal piece by plastic necklace, 2011; Dorothea made. Of course, New York’s to him or her talk about the work, then Otto Künzli back from a show at mad. Prühl’s Flieger Metropolitan Museum, the Museum actually get to watch them make By taking a piece of a picture frame necklace, 2010; Heejin Hwang’s of Fine Arts in Boston, the Dallas something I will eventually take home. and hanging it from a metal mesh cord, necklace in Museum of Art, mfa Houston, and the The studio experience is wonderful, but the artist indicates that any material can steel, enamel, and sterling silver; a L.A. County Museum of Art are all I support the galleries and make 90 be used in this practice. The cord is necklace and cuff building collections from gifts made percent of my purchases through them. ordinary. The picture frame is ordinary, by Gaetano Pesce, from his 2012–13 by collectors such as Helen Drutt, Great venues include Sienna Patti in but together, they create such an artful “Pezzi per il corpo” Deedie Rose, and Donna Schneier, Lenox, Massachusetts; Ornamentum form. The museum was disappointed to series; Dan Jocz’s whose gift to the Met went on view in Hudson, New York; Facere in Seattle; have to send it back, but giving this Candy Wear bracelet, 1999; last month. I’ve lent several pieces to Caroline Van Hoek in Brussels; piece away would be like removing the Lucy Sarneel “Multiple Exposures: Jewelry and Galerie Marzee in Holland; Fingers Warhol from my collection. Holland’s untitled necklace, 2005; Photography,” at the Museum of Arts Jewelry in New Zealand; Tereza Seabra Still, I really do love them all. I’m Enterline’s and Design in New York through in Lisbon; and Antonella Villanova dazzled by the variety, the ideas, the Diamond Slice Paddle necklace, September, including Kiff Slemmons’s in Florence. I attend the Internationale unique nature of the works. That’s 2013; Reliquary of Reliquary of My Own Making, a Handwerksmesse in Munich every why I can’t understand why anybody My Own Making, 2008, a necklace necklace of linked pentagonal frames March, and Design Miami had a lot would buy anything else. I guess by Slemmons; and showcasing images of jewelry-making of jewelry this year. The category is when you’re into something, you’re Ramona Solberg’s mixed media techniques rendered in sepia-toned mica. definitely expanding, and I feel lucky just into it. But to me, this is the most
necklace, ca. 1990. There are few things I’d rather do to have gotten in on the ground floor. spectacular area of collecting. larsen kristine
Art+Auction June 2014 | blouinARTINFO.COM