Diane Venet’s passion for artists’ jewellery began in 1985. She recalls how Bernar Venet, her husband, playfully wrapped a thin strip of silver around her left ring finger as a wedding band while they lived in New York. This simple act sparked a deep interest in her. She soon began exploring the unique world of jewellery created by artists. For Venet, these pieces are valuable not only because they are rare but also because of the symbolic meaning behind their creation.
Many items from Venet’s extensive collection are now on display at the Norton Museum of Art in West Palm Beach. The exhibition is titled “Artists’ Jewelry: From Cubism to Pop, the Diane Venet Collection.” Visitors can see jewellery made by well-known artists such as Rashid Johnson, Alexander Calder, Niki de Saint Phalle, Yayoi Kusama, Salvador Dalí, Man Ray, Pablo Picasso, and Kiki Smith. Some pieces are even available to try on.
Venet developed close relationships with many of these artists. Sometimes, she collaborated with them or encouraged them to work with jewellery as a new form of expression. She explains, “As I became more involved in this field, I asked different artists to contribute.” For example, she gave French sculptor César Baldaccini some family chains, bracelets, and pendants. He compressed them into a single pendant. John Chamberlain, a friend, gifted her his first piece of jewellery made from painted aluminium.
For Venet, each piece represents both friendship and creativity. She says artists often start by refusing her requests. But later, in the privacy of their studios, they feel inspired to experiment. This happened with Frank Stella. After many refusals, one evening he gave Venet a folded page from The New York Times that contained a large necklace design. The necklace was made from titanium and roughly painted gold.
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