 |
Saturday, 15 March 2008 | Levent OZLER
Lalique Takes Part in Rococo
Exhibition Includes Fin de Siecle Masterpieces and Rare Design Drawings
Lalique will be represented by eight historic masterworks in the exhibition Rococo: The Continuous Curve, 1730-2008, opening March 7, 2008. Lalique jewelry, glass, and rare design drawings will illustrate the evolution of the rococo style as it entered the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
This exhibition is the first museum survey of rococo and its ongoing resurgence. It will trace the movement's birth, rebirth and transformation across centuries and continents. Lalique's objects will illustrate the chronological modifications to the rococo style that occurred when elements of it were incorporated into the art nouveau style popular during the late 1800s and the art deco style of the 1920s.
 René Lalique is considered one of the great master's of the art nouveau style and his exceptional sensibility is reflected in the five exquisite pieces of jewelry that will be on view. These include the magnificent Femmes-Insectes et Cygnes Noir necklace (1897-1899, gold, enamel, amethyst, and opal, Metropolitan Museum of Art), sumptuously organic Iris bracelet (c. 1897, chased gold, enamel on gold, plique-a-jour enamel, opals, private collection), and a opulent, swirling hair ornament decorated with a spray of delicate Lilies of the Valley blossoms (c. 1900, horn, enamel, gold, Cleveland Museum of Art).
Two rare design drawings from the Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum collection will further reveal Lalique's aesthetic and vision. A drawing for a comb with a "flying fish" motif (1904-1906) and one for a corsage ornament titled Night (1904-1906). These vibrant illustrations reference the rococo style through their asymmetrical composition and abstracted naturalism, however under Lalique's care, take on the whiplash curves characteristic of the art nouveau.
 A glass and enamel Tourbillon vase, dated c. 1925, represents Lalique's mastery of the material and leadership in the art deco movement. Lalique began experimenting with the sculptural possibilities of glass around the turn of the 20th century and by 1913, was working almost exclusively in glass. This vase is contemporary with René Lalique's celebrated designs for the Orient Express train and Normandie ocean liner and illustrates his interest in using geometric forms to elegantly capture the natural world, as seen in this "whirlwind" design that the company now produces in crystal.
A select group of nine contemporary Lalique pieces will be available in the museum shop, including a necklace inspired by and two contemporary recreations of the Tourbillon vase.
|
|
|
