The French collector unveils her private archives to reveal the lost, decadent world of artist-designed jewelry.

Photography by Flore Chenaux

When considering the greatest artists of the 20th century, a lengthy list comes to mind: Pablo Picasso, Jeff Koons, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/12/at-home/things-to-do-this-week.html" target="_blank">Louise Bourgeois</a>, Alexander Calder, Fernand Leger, Man Ray, Damien Hirst, Pol Bury, <a href="https://wwd.com/fashion-news/designer-luxury/coach-to-launch-disney-x-keith-haring-collection-1234681316/" target="_blank">Keith Haring</a>, Yayoi Kusama, Anish Kapoor, and so on. These are the great masters of American <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/art/damian-loeb-frieze-ny-2019" target="_blank">abstract</a> art, the most renowned members of the Young British Artists, the legends of Cubism, the leaders of Surrealism, the references of Dadaism, the pioneers of virtual art, and the founders of Futurism. All have invented their own pictorial vocabulary, with each artist&rsquo;s own radical glory spread through their paintings, their <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/art/nicole-farhi-folds-2019" target="_blank">sculptures</a>, and their photographs.

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These names are taking <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/30/fashion/jewelry-art-deco-at-100.html">center stage</a> once again in a Parisian salon&mdash;but for one day only. Transported via a single, modestly-sized box, 200 pieces from several dozen leading artists will soon leave their temporary home (typically they are kept at a bank for safekeeping) for Luxembourg, and then on to Monaco, where exhibits and designer showcases will highlight them next. These pieces of art rarely exceed 12 inches each, and can wrap around a finger, shine from a chest, or even envelop a wrist. The works belong to a category of objects all their own: artist jewelry, a mysterious and specific type of artwork of which <a href="http://dianevenet.com/">Diane Venet</a> has over the years become the <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/yjeanmundelsalle/2019/08/07/qa-with-diane-venet-collector-of-artist-jewelry-by-picasso-dal-man-ray-robert-rauschenberg-anish-kapoor-and-damien-hirst/?sh=42427db628ed">torchbearer</a>.

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Lying on tissue paper or leaning on boxes in Venet&rsquo;s apartment today, the <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/fashion/fashion-jewelry-2020" target="_blank">pieces</a> display their astonishing lines in a tasteful, topsy-turvy way: a gold brooch by Georges Braque and shaped by Heger de L&ouml;wenfeld stands alongside a watch designed by <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/art/the-whitney-takes-a-deeper-look-at-andy-warhol-2018" target="_blank">Andy Warhol</a> with the Movado factory. Earrings signed by Man Ray&mdash;the very ones that <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/fashion/catherine-deneuve-auction-christies-2018" target="_blank">Catherine Deneuve</a> wore&mdash;unroll their intriguing curves alongside the copper spirals of a necklace designed by Alexander Calder. Placed on the floor, the vivid shades of Giacomo Balla&rsquo;s enamels echo the chromatic dominance of a Fernand Leger brooch or the palette of primary colors that stand out on a pendant by Roy Lichtenstein. A few centimeters away, the uneven profile of a <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/fashion/10-Tiffany-jewels-to-buy-now" target="_blank">gold bracelet</a> by the sculptor C&eacute;sar recalls the twists of an aluminum bracelet by John Chamberlain, whilst the hypnotic lines of a silver, enamel and <a href="https://www.lofficiel.at/en/Jewellery%20&amp;%20Watches/jewellery-trend-2020-pearls" target="_blank">mother-of-pearl</a> bracelet signed by Victor Vasarely seem to begin an unexpected but fruitful dialogue with the horizontal and evocative slits of a gold and magnetic necklace by Vassilakis Takis, molded directly on the body of his girlfriend.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;

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With her pieces leaving, so too will Venet, surely heading to her second house and workshop in Le Muy, France: a marvelous property in Provence-Alpes-C&ocirc;te d&rsquo;Azur&nbsp;Var that she transformed with her husband, the great sculptor <a href="http://www.bernarvenet.com/" target="_blank">Bernar Venet</a>, into a foundation dedicated to minimal and conceptual art. Her collection of artist <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/17/fashion/jewelry-book-coveted-phaidon.html" target="_blank">jewelry</a> tells the story of Venet&rsquo;s life through her romances and friendships, demands and stubbornness. When considering a piece, Venet makes a very clear distinction between the artist and its goldsmith or craftsman, however much of a virtuoso he may be. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m not saying that I don&rsquo;t like jeweler&rsquo;s craft, but that&rsquo;s another subject,&rdquo; she says. &ldquo;For my part, I collect jewelry imagined by artists. It does not matter what technique is used or the value of the materials, what matters is the reflection on the change of scale. These are <a href="https://www.vogue.com/article/the-body-transformed-exhibition" target="_blank">rare items</a>; most of them are unique or with a dozen or so editions, sensitive items, challenging items, too.&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;

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Although attached to renowned names, artist jewelry has survived relatively unknown. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s because most of the time these objects were intended for loved ones,&rdquo; says Venet. &ldquo;Andr&eacute; Derain imagined the models of wildlife, Cretans, and masks to offer them to his wife; Sol LeWitt created rings for his daughters; Alexander Calder designed his jewelry for his wife, Louisa; Harry Bertoia fashioned <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/pop%20culture/princess-diana-kate-middleton-tiara-moments-royal-family" target="_blank">adornments</a> for his friends. As a result, these objects have often remained in the privacy of families.&rdquo; Thus it took passion and determination to bring together these <a href="https://www.vogue.com/article/diane-venet-artist-jewelry-collection" target="_blank">unique pieces</a> designed by men and women who entered the art canon during the last century, but also by contemporary artists whom Venet knows intimately. Oftentimes the collector will willingly play the role of muse and agent, starting first with her husband. &ldquo;We met in July of 1985,&rdquo; she says. &ldquo;At <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/travel-living/white-house-christmas-holiday-traditions" target="_blank">Christmas</a> he offered me a ring, a silver bar that he had wrapped around two fingers, halfway between sculpture and jewelry. Later, he gave me a piece by Arman, with whom he was very close, and others from C&eacute;sar and Sergio Fontana. The seed was sown.&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;

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Alas, the huntress&rsquo; guiding principle reconciles both the intimacy and the grandiosity of her vast collection. &ldquo;I buy, but I don&rsquo;t sell anything,&rdquo; she says confidently. &ldquo;My collection is not an investment. When I wear artist jewelry, I wear <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/fashion/personalized-jewelry-trend-meghan-markle-kate-middleton" target="_blank">someone I love</a> first. It is the history of art that is meant to be shared.&rdquo; <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/01/fashion/jewelry-diane-venet-musee-des-arts-decoratifs-paris.html" target="_blank">Venet&rsquo;s collection</a> reminds us that art is the best of companions.

 
L&#39;OFFICIEL USA Winter 2020 is now on newsstands.

Master Collector Diane Venet on the Private Romance of Artist Jewelry

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