Ruby-lipped brooches by Salvador Dalí, pins with “heads” by Louise Bourgeois, comic-dotted pendants by Liechtenstein, and Damien Hirst’s luxury kitsch pill charm bracelets — this is just some of the high-profile artist bling at the Museum of Art and Design’s Picasso to Koons: The Artist as Jeweler exhibit. Leave it to devious Man Ray to engrave an upside-down cross pendant with a cleave-esque cleft! Among these curious items by all-star artists who aren’t known for making jewelry, there are unique, one-of-a-kind pieces that don’t need a big name to impress. We love Myra Mimlitsch’s ring-brass knuckle hybrid with its intricate, golden mesh and are mesmerized by Ulrike Bahrs’s scintillating, spacey brooch. Check out a few highlights spotted by ArtInfo and plucked out of MAD’s 180-strong catalogue of amazing art jewelry in our slideshow. Be sure to catch the exhibit before it closes on January 8.
Salvador Dali, Brooch: Lèvres en rubis et dents en perles, 1949. Photo credit: Micah Schmidt via ArtInfo
Myra Mimlitsch, Gray Untitled (Ring II), 1993. Photo Credit: Eva Heyd via MAD
Roy Lichtenstein, Modern Head, Pendant. Photo credit: Micah Schmidt via ArtInfo
Edward Higgins, Baby Needs a New Pair of Shoes, 1968. Photo: Ed Watkins via MAD
Man Ray, Pendant, 1972. Photo credit: Micah Schmidt via ArtInfo
Michele Oka Doner, Two Tattooed Baby Dolls, 1968. Photo credit Eva Heyd via MAD
Louise Bourgeois, Fallen Woman, 1996-1997. Photo credit: MAD
Ulrike Bahrs, Brooch, c. 2000. Photo credit: John Bigelow Taylor via MAD
Brooches by Pablo Picasso. Photo credit: Micah Schmid via ArtInfo
Julia Barello, Vascular Studies II: Lung, 1996. Photo credit: MAD
Frank Stella, Necklace: Untitled, 2008. Photo credit: Micah Schmid via ArtInfo
Otto Künzli, Rubber Band & Elastic Pins 1980-81. Photo Credit: John Bigelow via MAD
Damien Hirst, Pill Charm Bracelet, 2004. Photo credit: Micah Schmid via ArtInfo