January 29 - May 26, 2019

Image:  Mrs. W.H. (Elinor) Klapp, Brooch, ca. 1895-1914. Carved moonstone, silver or platinum. Collection of the Bronson Family. Photograph by Firestone and Parson.

The Flagler Museum’s “Season of Style” continues with an exhibition that shines a light on the inspiring role women played in the creation and design of art jewelry of the early twentieth century. Maker & Muse: Women and Early Twentieth Century Art Jewelry, a stunning exhibition of more than 200 unique pieces of handcrafted art jewelry, celebrates the role of women, both as inspiration and as designers/makers.

Featuring exquisite works by renowned artists such as Louis Comfort Tiffany, Charlotte Newman, and René Lalique, Maker & Muse: Women and Early Twentieth Century Art Jewelry celebrates the impact of women on art jewelry across five regions: Great Britain, France, Austro-Germany, New York, and Chicago. These regions saw the emergence of bold, experimental artists who pushed the boundaries of traditional jewelry design.

Art jewelry developed as a reaction to the conformity of mass-produced goods throughout the Industrial Revolution. Each of the designers represented in Maker & Muse, though inspired by their own individual cultures and surroundings, shared similar aesthetic ideals: they all sought to produce innovative jewelry with semiprecious stones, enamelwork, and dramatic forms. Women influenced art jewelry both as muses to male designers, and for the first time, as designers themselves. The works in this exhibition offer a mesmerizing glimpse into the social, political, and economic realms in which they were created. The exhibition was drawn from the collection of Richard H. Driehaus, as well as from other prominent collections.

A fully illustrated catalogue, Maker & Muse: Women and Early Twentieth Century Art Jewelry, edited by Elyse Zorn Karlin with essays by Sharon S. Darling, Jeannine Falino, Elyse Zorn Karlin, Yvonne J. Markowitz and Emily Banis Stoehrer, and Janis Staggs, with photographs by John Faier, is available for purchase in the Museum Store.

Maker & Muse: Women and Early Twentieth Century Art Jewelry was organized by The Richard H. Driehaus Museum and is toured by International Arts & Artists, Washington, DC. 

Exhibition funded in part by:

This exhibition is sponsored in part by the Palm Beach County Board of County Commissioners, the Tourist Development Council and the Cultural Council of Palm Beach County.