2 E 63rd St, New York
10065 New York
From October 24th 2018 to November 9th 2018.
These assembled works of exceptional beauty and quality come from an outstanding collection of jewelry built with passion over twenty-five years. The selection offers the viewer a broad and thoughtful view of jewelry from the end of the 19th century to the 1960s. Art Deco, an innovative and creative period in jewelry history, is particularly well represented in this exhibition. Several older pieces of Judaica reflect another, more personal, aspect of the collection.
“Twenty years ago I wanted to buy a diamond necklace for my wife for my son’s bar mitzvah. The search led us to a Madison Avenue jewelry shop owned by a jewelry icon. My wife fell in love with a necklace and I with a new passion; that of collecting antique and Art Deco jewelry. Murray, as he was affectionately referred to by his friends and family, started me on my adventure in discovery and collecting jewels, acting as mentor, adviser, and most importantly friend in this endeavor over the years. I was fascinated by objects that reflected another time, the art and the people. I was won over by the design, craftsmanship, and beautiful materials intrinsic in the jewels of the great Maisons of the time. For me, jewelry became art. Although collectors are just temporary caretakers for objects that will eventually pass to others, the experiences, great friendships, and intellectual stimulation that collecting has brought to me will last a lifetime.”
This inaugural exhibition at L’ÉCOLE emphasizes, at its core, quality. Because the element of choice might well be the first component of collecting, this collector’s particular blend of beauty, encompassing design, execution, rarity, and personal taste, has resulted in a chorus of divas. Each case presents a glimpse into a genre or style favored by this collector, or in some instances, a single incomparable work to highlight those moments when one trait or another outweighs all others. Together they form both an historical look at changing tastes across the twentieth century and a deeply personal reaction to that history. The exhibition does not attempt to be comprehensive; rather, we present the perspective of the collector, the essence of collecting, and the extraordinary beauty of the collected.
