Precious Objects Exhibit at the Gagosian Gallery

Victoire de Castellane’s Precious Objects

As we descend into spring, we can’t help but reveal a slight obsession with voluminous and scrumptious, colorful and crunchy, dazzling bright, summit jewels. That is exactly what Victoire de Castellane dreams up and turns into reality. The designer-turned-artist, whose inspiration comes from her uncle Gilles Dufour (Karl Lagerfeld’s famous assistant), explains the unmistakable difference between jewelry as an accessory and sculpture: “There comes a point when the piece is no longer primarily an accessory; it becomes something larger. It speaks about concept and form as opposed to objective value. It becomes sculpture.”

Her Precious Objects exhibit, currently on view at the Gagosian Gallery in New York, is an amalgamation of thematics, a genuine delight to encounter. “I drew inspirations from the synthetic wonders of Technicolor, the Brothers Grimm and Walt Disney, Hollywood screen idols and manga characters, the trash and fizz of pop culture, and the darkest depths of the subconscious”, she explains in a press release leading up the launch. The exhibit has been receiving a record number of visitors, and many of Castellane’s long-time followers seem stunned by the immense beauty of this eclectic collection. One such piece, which comes from one of her past collections, is Lunae Lumen Satine Mummy Blue, a rather extreme necklace made of platinum with yellow and white gold, adorned with emeralds and diamonds alike, and finished with a colored lacquer atop a silver base. This is jewelry at rest, waiting to be worn – she explains

Besides her own jewelry propositions, Castellane remains the head of Dior Joaillerie, where her famous creative imagination comes coupled with exceptional expertise to continuously create elegance and delicacy that is Christian Dior.

Victoire de Castellane, Precious Objects, will be on view at Gagosian Gallery, 980 Madison Avenue, until April 5, 2014.