Ornamentum

An artist’s jewel, like a painting or a sculpture, is a work of art. Born from the same creative approach, it has the same strength, the same poetry and capacity to evoke, and sometimes the same humour. Only their purpose differentiates them from each other.

From Picasso to Koons, many modern and contemporary artists have taken a close interest in jewellery.

It belongs neither to the world of high jewellery nor to that of costume jewellery. Nor is it associated with the independent creators of contemporary jewellery who design as much as they make and consider jewellery as a field of expression in its own right. A gesture of affection, artist’s jewellery, often designed for a loved one, is the work of painters or sculptors for whom this practice remains unusual.

The value of an artist’s jewel cannot be measured in carats. It is not judged by its hallmarks, its brilliance or its transparency. Whatever the art movement to which it belongs, an artist’s jewel created by a painter or sculptor testifies to a renewal of his or her approach to art – a renewal that is perhaps more fun, but just as rigorous.

From Kapoor to Braque, via Vasarely, Stella, Arman, César and Dali, the Collection Diane Venet consists of nearly 200 pieces, small and precious works of art that question the meaning and function of jewellery. These creations are always the result of an encounter.

Inspired by her own personal favourites, this exhibition reflects Diane Venet’s passion for creation: eclectic, playful and demanding. Throughout the exhibition, the great modern and contemporary movements are represented: the Surrealists, Abstract Art, POP Art, the New Realists, Kinetic Art, Minimal and Conceptual Art.

Ornamentum is accompanied by a sound piece conceived by the artist Sheila Concari. The original composition conceived for the exhibition mixes electronic sounds and quotations from Diane Venet.