Guest Post – More on Calder and Torques

When I commented in my December 23, 08 post on Chinese Ethnic Silver Necklaces… “it reminds me of the jewelry made by Alexander Calder towards the end of his career…” it prompted one of our readers, Elizabeth Herridge, to send us along this insightful contribution … I thought it would be great to share it with you!

Alexander Calder ( American, 1898-1976) was living and working in Paris beginning in 1926, just one year after the famous …

Alexander Calder ( American, 1898-1976) was living and working in Paris beginning in 1926, just one year after the famous 1925 Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes (International Exposition of Modern Industrial and Decorative Art). This movement which later became popularly known as “Art Deco” grew, in part, out of the Art Nouveau idea that artists should be able to work in every medium to make art a part of everyday life. This meant that there should be no distinction made between fine art and “craft”.

[From the Calder Collection, Calder Foundation, NY]

Thus a sculptor like Calder would be encouraged to work on any scale and in all media, and he did. The jewelry that he made was very personal and done mostly for friends and family. A very well known piece was the wedding ring created for his wife in 1931. It is done with a spiral motif which one can find used as a decorative element across a number of cultures and appearing as early as the Bronze Age.

A point of commonality with the Chinese torque is that the authors of both objects are perceived as artists and not just crafts people. The hand of the artist is evident. The idea of using non precious materials is also a concept that comes out of the Art Nouveau movement. Thus the value of the work is imputed through the “hand” of the artist and not because of the value of the materials. The jewelry is constructed and designed to be worn on the body and so this also factors into its creation.

Whether we are looking at jewelry or sculpture made by Alexander Calder, or a Chinese torque created by an anonymous artist, both are personal art objects intended to be incorporated into the lives of the wearers. They also are meaningful cultural and artistic statements reflective of the times and places in which the artists lived and worked.

… Elizabeth Herridge; Art Advisor, Independent Curator and Managing Director of the Guggenheim Hermitage Museum until its closure last year, Las Vegas, Nevada.