An exhibition on art nouveau jewelry

As usual, L’École des Arts Joailliers takes a serious approach to a subject that some would quickly find futile, and has wisely entrusted Rossella Froissart - Director of Studies at the École Pratique des Hautes Études - with the curatorship of this interesting exhibition. The creative abundance of Art Nouveau jewelry guaranteed its success, which has certainly not waned since it opened in June: while the institution reacted quickly by extending its opening hours and opening an extra day, the last available slots were snapped up like hotcakes. Recommending an exhibition that is already no longer accessible is a paradoxical exercise, reminiscent of the sad times of the recent pandemic, but the institution - aware of the cramped nature of its spaces - has always prioritized visitor comfort over the race for attendance records, and it would be unwise to complain. The exhibition’s scenography may not be the most subtle, but it highlights the pieces selected from various public and private collections.

1. View of the exhibition "Un art nouveau. Métamorphoses du bijou, 1880-1914"
Photo: Benjamin Chelly

See the image in its page

In 90 numbers, the showcases tell the story of the "metamorphoses" of French jewelry at the turn of the century, but it’s best to have some knowledge of the field to fully appreciate their significance. As Rossella Froissart makes clear from the outset, the market value of the pieces is often overshadowed by the originality of their creation: the renewal of shapes, materials and effects takes precedence over cascades of precious stones. Chalcedonies, cornelians and chrysoprases are scattered throughout the selection, thus almost overshadowing the diamonds and rubies that one would expect to see. The exhibition also gives pride of place to enamel work, sometimes going so far as to move away from pure jewelry to evoke a designer still little known to the general public, Jeanne Soyer, a member of a dynasty of enamellers on whom…