Necklace

© Estate of Byron Wilson
My gallery Comment Tag Order Photography*
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Necklace

circa 1956
Jewelry and Adornments
Silver, ebony, ivory
8 1/2 x 7 x 1 1/4 in. (21.59 x 17.78 x 3.18 cm)
Purchased with funds provided by Martha and Bruce Karsh (M.2010.116)
Decorative Arts and Design
Not currently on public view

Curator Notes

Like many midcentury artisans, jeweler Byron Wilson did not work at his craft full-time. His “day job” was with the Southern Pacific Railroad....
Like many midcentury artisans, jeweler Byron Wilson did not work at his craft full-time. His “day job” was with the Southern Pacific Railroad. Since his time was limited, he made pieces primarily for exhibitions. In 1956 the Memorial Art Gallery in Rochester, New York, acquired a necklace identical to this one. Wilson liked the design so much that he made this second example for himself. It is clear that this necklace was for exhibition only, because it does not have a functioning clasp.

(California Design, 1930–1965: "Living in a Modern Way," 2011-12)
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Bibliography

  • Kaplan, Wendy, ed. California Design, 1930-1965: Living in a Modern Way. Los Angeles: Los  Angeles County Museum of Art; Cambridge, Mass.: MIT Press, 2011.
  • Kaplan, Wendy, ed. Living in a Modern Way: California Design, 1930-1965.  Los Angeles: Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 2013. 

Exhibition history

  • California Design, 1930–1965: "Living in a Modern Way" Los Angeles, CA, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, October 1, 2011 - June 3, 2012
  • California Design, 1930–1965: "Living in a Modern Way" Tokyo, Japan, The National Art Center, Tokyo, March 20, 2013 - June 3, 2013
  • California Design, 1930–1965: "Living in a Modern Way" Los Angeles, CA, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, October 1, 2011 - June 3, 2012
  • California Design, 1930–1965: "Living in a Modern Way" Tokyo, Japan, The National Art Center, Tokyo, March 20, 2013 - June 3, 2013
  • California Design, 1930–1965: "Living in a Modern Way" Auckland, New Zealand, Auckland Art Gallery, July 6, 2013 - September 29, 2013
  • California Design, 1930–1965: "Living in a Modern Way" South Brisbane, Australia, Queensland Art Gallery, November 2, 2013 - February 9, 2014
  • California Design, 1930–1965: "Living in a Modern Way" Salem, MA, Peabody Essex Museum, March 29, 2014 - July 6, 2014
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