Beyoncé's Papillon Ring

There was much excitement in the press the other week when it was announced that having "put a ring on it" Beyoncé and husband Jay-Z have now gifted said unusual Papillon ring to the V&A Museum.

The ring is one from a series which are the creations of jeweller Glen Spiro (below), and take the form of an articulated butterfly seemingly poised to take off, with wings made of titanium encrusted with diamonds and rare green tsavorites (or other rare stones). The donation is one of several made to the V&A by the musical power-couple which they thought should go to an institution in the designers home city.

 jeweller Glen Spiro

The Papillon collection pictured is a range of unique and exquisite butterfly rings - featuring moving wings made of feather-light titanium and encrusted with gems in various pretty hues. Each ring is ingeniously crafted and technically adept - with the butterfly appearing to be perched on the finger and fluttering as the wearer opens and closes her hand, or bends her finger, due to a clever mechanism that delicately extends over the knuckle. The butterfly appears to be attached to the wearer's finger by its diamond-studded tendrils which can flutter its wings on the wearers whim. Spiro says of his Papillon range - "The butterfly is a classic jewellery motif. But we wanted to make it more interesting, so we came up with a way to animate these bejewelled insects at the command of their owners." 

The unusual Papillon ring is currently on display in the William and Judith Bollinger jewellery gallery at the V&A, and is in good company , set among important jewellery pieces previously created for and owned by Elizabeth I, Catherine the Great and Napoleon. Below you can see a brief video of the articulated Papillon ring in motion.

Thomas Gainsborough: Butterflies Through Other Eyes #40

Thomas Gainsborough (1727-1788) The Painter's Daughters Chasing a Butterfly (c.1756)

 Always keep them within reach.

Happy Father's Day!

Beatriz Milhazes: Rio Azul

"I want to have optical movements, disturbing things; such visions that your eyes would be disturbed when you see them." Beatriz Milhazes

Gamboa II

A nice shot of intense colour to complement the hot weather we've been experiencing in London of late was found in Beatiz Milhazes' current show at White Cube Bermondsey. There are these charming mobile/sculptures made from found and made materials resembling bead curtains from a 1970s interior which are pretty and decorative, but seem ephemeral and quite insubstantial. They brought out the child in me and I just wanted to run through them to relive my childhood.

Marilola

Other pieces in the exhibition consist of Milhazes' trademark densely overlaid circular patterns and geometric motifs. There seems to be a nod to, and perhaps over-reliance on the works of both Robert and Sonia Delauney in these latest works, and a relegation of the lovely graphic foliage that Milhazes used to employ to soften the hard geometrical shapes.

Os cisnes com vermelho, rosa e prate

Bibi em ondas laranjas e cinzas

Marilola

Papel japonês em amaelo e laranja

Hawai em ondas pretas e brancas

I enjoyed the densely layered collages, and noted the inclusion of packaging from premium brands.

Marola

Balade leite em roxo e azul ultramar

Pó de arroz

I enjoyed seeing the looser, painterly touches in certain paintings amid the graphic, kaleidoscopic, hard-edged pattern, and hope that this mark-making is something that is explored in more depth in future Milhazes paintings.

Banho de rio

Rio azul

The centrepiece of the exhibition is this huge wool tapestry - Rio Azul, which is 16 metres wide and almost 3 metres high. Milhazes says it is inspired by the work of Brazilian Modernist Roberto Burle Marx, but I also see the work of Matisse and his Jazz collages. The scale of this piece is certainly impressive but I would have liked to have seen Milhazes and the weavers exploit the more nuanced effects of tone and texture which can be achieved in the art of tapestry like those seen in Chris Ofili's The Caged Bird's Song here.

Goa

Coqueiral em marrom e azul

O grande dia

Beatriz Milhazes: Rio Azul
until 1st July
White Cube Bermondsey
144-152 Bermondsey Street
London
SE1

David Nash: Wood • Metal • Pigment

I happened across this wonderful exhibition by happy accident whilst visiting the John Craxton In Greece exhibition at the Osborne Samuel gallery on the floor below (the subject of my last post), and it was curiosity, that led me to climb the stairs to Annely Juda on the floor above, where my nosiness was rewarded with these potent, mysterious wood and metal constructions by David Nash. Nash is a consummate craftsman knowing how best to fully exploit the grain and fissures in the wood that he works. Trees in the forests of their natural habitat have an inherent spirituality, all too aware perhaps of their precious role in the ecosystem of this planet. And although the trees depicted here are fallen and decapitated, Nash appears to resurrect that sense of living energy and spirit, giving new life through his artistic interventions on these timbers.

Ash Bark Dome

The centrepiece of the downstairs gallery is Cork Dome (2012), a large, wonderfully textural mound, constructed from slivers of cork bark. It is a self-contained craggy, maze. Both a citadel and refuge.

Oak Leaves Through May

Nine Cork Oaks

Tree Fern Dome

Red Around Black (2017), was one of my favourites in the exhibition, made from the trunk of a mighty Sequoia, with its coppery red-veined outer, cloaking a charred, velvety black interior. It was a majestic sculptural piece full of intrigue. That blackened interior had unspoken knowledge. It seemed to have a story to tell...   

Flame (2017), evoked religious connotations in my mind. The whole resembled a sculptural church/cathedral building. 

Whilst the top half was like a pair of praying hands from the angle photographed above. I envisioned Joan of Arc in the act of prayer for deliverance in the moments before she was engulfed and consumed by flames.

Cube, Sphere, Pyramid on a Shelf

Fire Carved Holly (2015). This piece demonstrates how very little needs to be done in terms of artistic intervention to improve on the sculptural shapes found in nature. 

Beech, Ash, Oak

Blue Column

Pagoda Column (2015), like many of Nash's pieces appears to be about achieving balance and equilibrium - man in harmony with nature. All of the pieces have a peaceful, meditative air to them.

In the upstairs gallery I really enjoyed the large scale of this coupling of King and Queen I (2011), which seemed to echo the similar male/female pairings of sculptors Lynn Chadwick and Henry Moore. 

Again the charred, patinated surface of Nash's royal pair was beautiful, and gave the piece an extra textural dimension.

Three Humps

I also admired the sharp, corten steel angles of Open Cross Box (2017), which again evoked more religious imagery in my mind, of that of the outer cassock/cloak of a bishop. Again this work gives off an aura of mystery, and also shelter. It is a haven, and sanctuary. An enfoldment of protection for all seeking spirituality and refuge from the troubles of a material world.

Green and Black II

Encased Cross

Torso

Ladle and Spoon

I discovered the exhibition on the day after the opening Private View, and was lucky to have these works, and the gallery space all to myself. In the upstairs gallery there was work in progress in the exhibition space, as workmen were busily engaged in boxing up some David Hockney paintings. And as I was leaving I was nearly squashed by more art handlers bringing in some figurative Paolozzi sculptures. I hope to visit again for a further look by which time the workmen should have packed up and gone.

Black in White, Black in Black: Column; Diagonal Striped Column; Diagonal Serrated Column

Diagonal Serrated Column

David Nash: Wood • Metal • Pigment
until 7th July
Annely Juda Fine Art
3rd and 4th floors
23 Dering Street
London W1S