If anyone gets to the West Palm Beach, Florida area i would
encourage them to visit the Norton Gallery, The gallery has chosen to
install a show of the costume jewelry designed by Kenneth J Lane. I
find it interesting and curious that the Palm Beach community has
decided that KJL’s costume jewelry is "art " i know that in the past
we on Orchid have had many long and skillfully executed discussions
as artists attempting to define this question, is jewelry art ? what
is art etc. and here the Norton gallery in stalls up a display of
costume jewelry. KJL is highly collectible but it has the look of
Grandmas discarded stuff which one can theoretically find for sale
in thrift stores, for nothing. sooo… what does this mean ? I am
not sure but i think we should consider this for insight into the
question of " what makes it art ? after all the Norton is not a huge
institution like some others but I think their influence is far
reaching in the art world - goo
Goo-
Perhaps the enormously successful Mr. Lane financed the show himself.
It could happen. Inept students get to attend Ivy League colleges
when Daddy (or Mommy) shells over a few million. As for his costume
jewelry, I own masses of it, and, except for junky enameling, the
workmanship is generally excellent, it’s big and bold and glamorous
and I adore it. It took me several years to pay for my 27 carat
emerald ring (a realie) yet I prefer to wear KJL’s glass emerald
ring.
Marly
To Gustavo on “art”
To me, there is art and craft involved in making jewelry. The art is
the design, the craft is the workmanship. And with the knowledge of
learning about materials, their qualities, their limitations, in the
hands of the right person, it all goes together to produce something
beautiful, no matter what the material. Remember there is beauty
also in a faded flower or a dying plant. When I was a child, I wanted
to go to art school. My mother didn’t want me to do this, fearing I
would end up on the left bank and an absinthe addict probably. So
she asked me if I wanted to draw Campbell Soup cans for the rest of
my life. It sounded dull. If my mother had decided what was art, Andy
Warhol would have never made the name he did. But maybe she was
ahead of her time… Now they have both passed into the great
unknown - I wonder if they are sitting and looking at his art
portfolio with her eyes wide and disbelieving.
Barbara
Marly - the idea as you suggest, that KJL would finance his own show
never occurred to me regardless of his patronage to the Norton the
community would need to be in support of the idea that one or another
of the following is the case number one KJL’s costume jewelry is art
with exception to all others. or it is the popularity and market
value of KJL’s costume pieces and designs that makes it art. or all
costume jewelry is now art as defined by the terms which the curators
of the Norton have set forth, or as you suggest Marly he purchased
his legitimacy. I myself would prefer to believe that there is
something of value for me as a student of art to learn from this.
If KJL is alive and well perhaps he is available for comment. -goo