Louisa Guinness Gallery will present Britain’s first solo exhibition of Alexander Calder’s jewellery. The American sculptor, who died in 1976, is best known as the originator of the mobile, but he also created bespoke avant-garde jewellery pieces for various celebrity friends.
The Boldness of Calder has collaborated with fashion designer Elise Overland and photographer Alexander English to include a series of contemporary images of Calder’s jewellery being worn by notable women including Simone de Beauvoir, Georgia O’Keeffe and Peggy Guggenheim, which will be showcased alongside his original pieces.
“We all love Calder’s work, but I actually have a very personal relationship with his jewellery; I was inspired to work in artist jewellery after seeing my mother-in-law’s beautiful Calder necklace. Made of brass spirals and loops – this very beautiful piece is hugely important to me,” says gallerist Louisa Guinness, who has spent the last two years curating the exhibition.
It’s thought that Calder crafted more than 1,800 jewellery pieces during his lifetime. “Choosing which ones to show was probably the hardest part! The exhibition shows works from my own collection, as well as loans from private collections and museums, and pieces for sale.”
A refined medley of spirals and zigzags reveal Calder’s unique approach to form, which was unusual for the time. Each pair of radical earrings and oversized bracelets are one-of-a-kind and hand-crafted using hammered silver or bent brass wire. Designed with a specific wearer in mind, many of Calder’s bulky brooches showcase initials or names.
“Like true vessels of Calder’s artistic manifesto, the women who wore his jewellery were some of the most forward thinking and unconventional of their time,” says Guinness. “The appeal of Calder’s jewellery is clear, the pieces are deeply unconventional, and utilise seemingly ‘simple’ materials – brass wire, found materials – which appeal to wearers with avant-garde tastes and an eye for the unusual.”
The Boldness of Calder is presented in collaboration with the Calder Foundation. Foundation President Alexander S. C. Rower says, “Making jewellery was extremely personal for my grandfather, and he adamantly refused to edition his pieces. Each work is completely unique—just like his mobiles. His pioneering aesthetic remains an inspiration for leagues of studio jewellers today.”
Alexander Calder, The Boldness of Calder will run from 27th September – 5th November 2016 at Louisa Guinness Gallery, London
Landing Image Credit: Anjelica Huston wearing The Jealous Husband (c. 1940) by Alexander Calder, 1976, photo by Evelyn Hofer, © 2016 Calder Foundation, New York, Photo © Estate of Evelyn Hofer.
