alhambra bracelet van cleefvan cleef & arpels rings,The recipe for an exquisite piece of jewelry is akin to haute cuisine: masters employ special techniques to mix and adorn top-quality ingredients, creating something that is r greater than the sum of its parts. So says the unctuous wall text introducing Set in Style: The Jewelry of Van Cleef &taggering displays of wealth dont look out of place in this former Carnegie mansion. But allowing a luxury brand thats still very much in existence to bankroll its own exhibition one that often looks as if it were put together by the companys creative directors does not seem like a smart move, even if it draws A-listers to the opening-night gala.
Some might argue that other museums have done the same thing less transparently: the Met with some of its Costume Institute shows or the Guggenheim with Armani, which was not officially sponsored by the designer but followed his pledge of $15 million. These events fool no one, and the Cooper-Hewitt, as a branch of the Smithsonian, should be especially leery. (The corporate connection will not, of course, protect Set in Style from going dark this weekend, along with the rest of the Smithsonians offerings, in the event of a government shutdown.)
If Set in Style didnt feel so in thrall to the company it might be less of an embarrassment for the museum. The show and its catalog, organized around rubrics like innovation and transformation, are full of breathless text that reads like ad copy. A short video supplied by Van Cleef & blinding tiara worn by Princess Grace of Monaco; Marlene Dietrichs bold ruby-and-diamond bracelet that saw screen time in Stage Fright. If these dont impress, consider the four pieces two sets of pendant earrings, a brooch and a necklace that belonged to Elizabeth Taylor.
Also intriguing from a design perspective are objects with removable or transformable parts . a 95-carat yellow-diamond briolette that dangles from the beak of a bird-shaped brooch comes off to form a pendant; a necklace of gold, rubies and diamonds can be zipped into a bracelet pieces for people who can probably afford to buy everything separately. The installation isnt chronological, so viewers must take history where they can find it, as in a display of Art Deco bracelets said to be among the earliest examples of the style, or in a section on the invention of the minaudire (a petite case inspired by Florence Jay Goulds habit of stuffing her evening necessities into a cigarette box). A delightful little piece called the Bronx cocktail bracelet, from the 1930s, has charms in the form of Prohibition-era libations.
In
In the shows version of history, World War II was just a brief interruption in an ongoing epic of luxury and privilege. Members of the Arpels mily relocated to New York and picked up pretty much where they had left off, merging Old World skills with New World preferences and continuing to serve elite international clients like Eva Pern, the Duchess of Windsor and the Shah of Iran.
An entire gallery is devoted to Exoticism, with themes tailored to some of these clients or drawn from cultures that were once shionable. A 1920s bracelet of diamonds and colored stones, for instance, recreates motifs found in King Tuts tomb (excavated in 1922) with astonishing precision.
Another section, Fashion, features brooches that look like bows and earrings that drape like cloth. Its a shame that the crowds hovering over these objects dont seem to be their way upstairs to see Sonia Delaunays textiles, which have no sparkle but plenty of style.
I dont mean to diminish the pleasure people take in looking at spectacular pieces of jewelry or to suggest that jewelry has no place in the museum. But a company with the resources of Van Cleef &t in Style: The Jewelry of Van Cleef &ontinues through July 4 at the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum, 2 East 91st Street, Manhattan; (212) 849-8400, cooperhewitt1
