Haute, wrought, and one of a kind
The handcrafted jewelry in a new MFA exhibit is 'small, wearable sculpture'
"I don't like diamonds, emeralds, or grand stones," says Daphne Farago. "I mean, I like them, they're beautiful, but I'm more interested in the work that goes into a piece -- the passion."
In a world where more than a few women dream of carats and Cartier, Farago is a rarity, preferring the beautiful imperfection of handcrafted pieces to the predictable polish of manufactured. The Rhode Island collector just donated 700 pieces of jewelry created by artists to the Museum of Fine Arts . About 200 are showcased in a new exhibit, "Jewelry by Artists: The Daphne Farago Collection," on display through March 5 in the Lee Gallery.
The collection is comprised of studio jewelry; that is, one-of-a-kind or limited-production pieces, made by artists in independent studios. "It is related to sculpture, especially kinetic sculpture, but takes on additional meaning when worn on the body," says Kelly L'Ecuyer, the show's curator.
Originally from South Africa, Farago has lived in Little Compton since the late '50s, and has been a collector and arts patron for as long as she can remember. "Personally, I'm not able to create, so I appreciate what is created," she explained from her home, across the water from Newport. "I especially like to collect early American craft from the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries. Early objects are pieces that are individually made rather than manufactured. That is what's so special about studio jewelry."
Farago first collected American Folk Art, beginning well before it became wildly popular in the '80s. When prices skyrocketed, Farago found collecting such works a lot less fun, and sold off her collection at a
Farago began accumulating studio jewelry while she collected other things. In fact, she didn't think of her jewelry acquisitions as collecting because the pieces were just for her. "Wearing jewelry makes a statement about who you are," she says. "Some people wear delicate and sweet pieces. Me, I wear stronger pieces of art. I think of jewelry as small, wearable sculpture."
Many pieces in the collection are easily classified as just that -- especially those designed by artists such as Alexander Calder , Man Ray , Pablo Picasso , Max Ernst , Niki de Saint Phalle , and Roy Lichtenstein . Calder provides wearable examples of his trademark kinetic mobiles, and Man Ray designed one particularly sculptural pair of earrings, a set of thick golden coils that were worn by French actress Catherine Deneuve in a famous photograph, which is also on display.
Various pieces from the 1960s were inspired by the Pop Art movement. Designer Ken Cory , for example, used found objects from flea markets and junk shops to create pieces like his "Hose" brooch (1968), made with silver and plastic, which suggests industrial machinery. Louis Mueller took imagery from comic books and commercial packaging, set it in silver, and made rings and belt buckles, one of which is branded with a blue and silver Superman "S."
There are also exquisite examples of studio jewelry that could bring the jewel-loving legions to their knees. John Paul Miller's gold and enamel "Polyp Colony" (1975) is so detailed, with intricate inlays and hundreds of miniscule gold dots soldered onto tiny tentacles, it's hard to believe he made it by hand.
