Master Collector Diane Venet on the Private Romance of Artist Jewelry

Photography by Flore Chenaux

When considering the greatest artists of the 20th century, a lengthy list comes to mind: Pablo Picasso, Jeff Koons, Louise Bourgeois, Alexander Calder, Fernand Leger, Man Ray, Damien Hirst, Pol Bury, Keith Haring, Yayoi Kusama, Anish Kapoor, and so on. These are the great masters of American abstract art, the most renowned members of the Young British Artists, the legends of Cubism, the leaders of Surrealism, the references of Dadaism, the pioneers of virtual art, and the founders of Futurism. All have invented their own pictorial vocabulary, with each artist’s own radical glory spread through their paintings, their sculptures, and their photographs.

With her pieces leaving, so too will Venet, surely heading to her second house and workshop in Le Muy, France: a marvelous property in Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur Var that she transformed with her husband, the great sculptor Bernar Venet, into a foundation dedicated to minimal and conceptual art. Her collection of artist jewelry tells the story of Venet’s life through her romances and friendships, demands and stubbornness. When considering a piece, Venet makes a very clear distinction between the artist and its goldsmith or craftsman, however much of a virtuoso he may be. “I’m not saying that I don’t like jeweler’s craft, but that’s another subject,” she says. “For my part, I collect jewelry imagined by artists. It does not matter what technique is used or the value of the materials, what matters is the reflection on the change of scale. These are rare items; most of them are unique or with a dozen or so editions, sensitive items, challenging items, too.”    

Although attached to renowned names, artist jewelry has survived relatively unknown. “It’s because most of the time these objects were intended for loved ones,” says Venet. “André Derain imagined the models of wildlife, Cretans, and masks to offer them to his wife; Sol LeWitt created rings for his daughters; Alexander Calder designed his jewelry for his wife, Louisa; Harry Bertoia fashioned adornments for his friends. As a result, these objects have often remained in the privacy of families.” Thus it took passion and determination to bring together these unique pieces designed by men and women who entered the art canon during the last century, but also by contemporary artists whom Venet knows intimately. Oftentimes the collector will willingly play the role of muse and agent, starting first with her husband. “We met in July of 1985,” she says. “At Christmas he offered me a ring, a silver bar that he had wrapped around two fingers, halfway between sculpture and jewelry. Later, he gave me a piece by Arman, with whom he was very close, and others from César and Sergio Fontana. The seed was sown.”