JEWELLERY AND TABOOS
City of Paris’ Museum of Modern Art
From May 19th to November 05th 2017
Jewellery elicits undeniable reactions of “attraction/repulsion”, depending on who designs it, wears it, or looks at it, much like the terrifying face of the mythical Medusa. Though jewellery is one of the most ancient forms of human expression, it is rarely considered art, often still perceived as too feminine, precious, decorative and of the body, or even primitive. But contemporary artists and creators have taken jewellery far beyond its own traditions, and by reinventing it, have transformed our gaze. The museum presents almost 300 pieces organised thematically: those made by artists (Meret Oppenheim, Man Ray, Calder, Dali, Picasso, Fabrice Gygi, Thomas Hirschhorn, and Danny McDonald), designers (René Lalique, Anni Albers, Line Vautrin, Tony Duquette, Bless), contemporary jewelers (Giampaolo Babetto, Helen Britton, Lauren Kalman, Manon von Kouswijk, Seth Papac, and Lauren Tickle), fine jewellers, as well as anonymous or more ancient pieces (antique, Native American, or even punk, rap, SM, etc.). The MEDUSA exhibition brings together pieces that are one of a kind with others that exist in multiple copies, and are made by hand, industrially, or even by computer, thus allowing visitors to compare and contrast refined, artisanal, and futuristic aesthetics.
