Alexander Calder and jewelry: a lifelong romance
Jewelry is usually considered an art overlapping with sculpture. It shouldn’t sound strange, then, to say that one of the most brilliant jewelers of the 20th century was the late moghul of modern art, Alexander Calder.
During his incredible life, Alexander Calder created amazing sculptures: some of them are actually jewels. A brilliant example of Calder's jewelry is the collection of Ruth Horwich, who with her husband Leonard founded the Museum of Contemporary Art of Chicago. This selection of incredible pieces highlights Calder’s handicraft in creating necklaces, bracelets and brooches with an unexpected, "winding" twist. Particularly distinctive of his work is the shaping of precious metals in the form of a coil, a spiral concept that returns everywhere in his jewelry art pieces. Some of his best creations were auctioned in 2015 at Christie's: Spiral Pin, a flat ribbon of gold forming an ever-coiling circle; Bracelet, a beautiful, sinuous structure extending up the wrist; and Necklace, a stream of tiny coils on a piece of leather chord to shimmering wave of golden hues that creates an intriguing feeling of movement and dynamism.
Calder's works were also on display, recently, at Louisa Guinness Gallery: the exhibition "Boldness of Calder" (closed on November 5) featured a total of 35 pieces – some loaned by museums and private collectors, others for sale (from $50,000). Most dazzling are the superbly oversized necklaces, such as a cool brass wire number that’s nearly 40cm in diameter, or a 1950 Tudor that seem to foresee the current fad for everything that has a rumply, ruffly feeling. During his lifetime Alexander Calder created over 1,800 pieces of jewelry. Many of them were gifts he made for friends and relatives. Today, his legacy lives on through the exceptional pieces he crafted using innovative materials and groundbreaking techniques. Finally, Alexander Calder is recognized not only as an amazing sculptor but also as a truly gifted jeweller.
C.F.
