Calder Earrings
Reminiscent of Alexander Calder mobiles, these earrings were made by the modernist jeweler Ed Wiener. Wiener’s career started in the 1940s in the bohemian hot bed of Greenwich Village, where he produced hand-hammered silver jewelry alongside other artists such as Sam Kramer and Art Smith. Although his early jewelry found formal inspiration in Alexander Calder, as he progressed, Wiener evolved his own vocabulary, often shaped by his interest in adopting new materials and techniques in casting, setting, and joining. These earrings are part of a collection of twelve pieces donated by Wiener’s daughter which show the development his own language of modernist forms.
Artwork Details
- Title: Calder Earrings
- Designer: Ed Wiener (American, New York 1918–1991 New York)
- Date: Designed 1948
- Medium: Gold
- Dimensions: 4 in. (10.2 cm)
- Classification: Jewelry
- Credit Line: Gift of Michele Wiener Caplan, 2016
- Object Number: 2016.780.4a, b
- Curatorial Department: Modern and Contemporary Art
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