Calder's Jewelry Takes Center Stage at Musée des Beaux-Arts d'Orléans

The Musée des Beaux-Arts d'Orléans presents an exhibition of approximately twenty jewelry pieces by Alexander Calder, on view from September 25, 2026, to January 31, 2027. The display highlights Calder's intimate creations in brass, silver, and wire, often made for his wife Louisa James, his sister Peggy, and friends such as architect Charlotte Perriand. A notable example is a brass bracelet engraved with his name in cursive, crafted after a 1929 encounter aboard the De Grasse, where Louisa's windblown hair inspired the idea. Their 1931 marriage was marked by a spiral wedding ring, a motif that reappeared in a brooch engraved "XXV ANNI" for their 25th anniversary in 1956. Other pieces commemorate their 16th and 21st anniversaries with metal leaves and a fish-shaped brooch. Calder fashioned over a hundred jewels, refusing to edition them despite client requests. The exhibition includes loans from the Centre Pompidou, such as 1930s gouaches and a motorized yellow panel, and features Charlotte Perriand's chaise longue and a fourteen-meter painting by Simon Hantaï. Museum director Olivia Voisin notes that the jewelry "comes alive when worn," recalling that Calder's descendants wore them at the 2026 Vuitton Foundation retrospective. The show underscores Calder's pursuit of balance and movement, treating jewelry as portable sculpture.