Throughout the 20th century, the paths of artists and studio jewelry frequently crossed, reinforcing the idea of jewelry as art in the art world and the broader public imagination. As early as 1918, the artists Man Ray and Jean Arp began making jewelry as part of their broader aesthetic interest of creating wearable surrealist art. They were joined by leading sculptors such as Alexander Calder, Claire Falkenstein, Alberto Giacometti, Ibram Lassaw, Bruno Martinazzi among others. These artists designed jewelry to bring their artistic creativity into the realm of “art to wear”. As a leading tastemaker in that world, the patron and collector, Peggy Guggenheim famously wore one earring by Yves Tanguy and another by Alexander Calder at the inaugural opening of her gallery, Art of This Century in 1942. As she recalled, “I had a white evening dress made for the occasion and wore one of my Tanguy earrings and one made by Calder, in order to show my impartiality between Surrealists and abstract art”. While Guggenheim might have worn these jewelries to communicate her artistic association, she unwittingly foreshadowed a trend that would gain great currency from the late 1960s.
Alexander Calder (1898-1976) was best known for his airy mobile sculptures that embrace the “aesthetics of movement.” What is often less known is that he also experimented with jewelry making, producing hundreds of bracelets, brooches and rings, most of which embody a similar aesthetic as his mobile sculptures.
Max Ernst (1891-1976) was a German-born painter, sculptor, printmaker, graphic artist, and poet. A prolific artist, Ernst was a primary pioneer of the Dada movement and Surrealism in Europe. He also designed some of the most arresting jewelry of the 20th century in collaboration with his friend, the jewelry maker, Francois Hugo.
