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Exhibitions like Modern Jewelry at MoMA in 1946 featured the work of artists like Alexander Calder and Henry Bertoia, as well as Sam Kramer and Paul Lobel, inspiring the next generation of studio jewelers like Ed Wiener. Those exhibitions, and others that followed, highlighted the democratic materials favored by these artists, many of whom were self-taught, and stressed the relationship between contemporary jewelry and modern art. Active in the 1940s and 50s, Wiener was particularly interested in abstraction and the kineticism of Calder's jewelry and mobiles. Around 1944, with his wife Doris, he hitchhiked to Provincetown, Massachusetts and opened a summer studio-shop at 197 Commercial Street. A few years later he opened a similar space in Greenwich Village, maintaining the Cape Cod studio during the summer months. Surrounded by other artists, Wiener made work like this bracelet that evoked a strong sense of movement with the swooping curve that wraps around the wrist.
Bracelet
Ed Wiener (American, 1918–1991)
American
1948
Object Place: New York, New York
Medium/Technique
Silver
Dimensions
Overall: 5.7 x 10.8 x 6.4 cm (2 1/4 x 4 1/4 x 2 1/2 in.)
Credit Line
The Daphne Farago Collection
Accession Number2006.593
NOT ON VIEW
ClassificationsJewelry / Adornment – Bracelets and armlets
Exhibitions like Modern Jewelry at MoMA in 1946 featured the work of artists like Alexander Calder and Henry Bertoia, as well as Sam Kramer and Paul Lobel, inspiring the next generation of studio jewelers like Ed Wiener. Those exhibitions, and others that followed, highlighted the democratic materials favored by these artists, many of whom were self-taught, and stressed the relationship between contemporary jewelry and modern art. Active in the 1940s and 50s, Wiener was particularly interested in abstraction and the kineticism of Calder's jewelry and mobiles. Around 1944, with his wife Doris, he hitchhiked to Provincetown, Massachusetts and opened a summer studio-shop at 197 Commercial Street. A few years later he opened a similar space in Greenwich Village, maintaining the Cape Cod studio during the summer months. Surrounded by other artists, Wiener made work like this bracelet that evoked a strong sense of movement with the swooping curve that wraps around the wrist.
DescriptionLarge silver cuff bracelet of wave design surmounted by applied curved wire
Signed
"ED Wiener/Sterling"
ProvenanceAuerback & Maffia (Fountainville, PA); Daphne Farago,January 13, 1995 Daphne Farago; to MFA, 2006, gift of Daphne Farago.