‘Bauhaus’ Exhibit Shows Dual Role for Art, Jewelry

Imagine taking a signed, sterling silver or 18-karat gold sculpture off your mantelpiece, attaching it to your necklace or pinning it to your blouse and stepping out for the evening. Sound preposterous? Take a look at the touring exhibition, “Echoes of Bauhaus,” at the Circle Gallery, 2501 San Diego Ave., through March 6.

The brainchild of Carol Rosenzweig, a Los Angeles art collector and writer, the exhibition of 30 pieces of sculpture-jewelry follows the concept of the Bauhaus School--a 20th-Century school of art where artists of dissimilar media worked together.

“I’ve collected furniture and other works from the period when the Bauhaus was formed in Europe,” Rosenzweig said. “Even though the artists were painters and sculptors, they made furniture, jewelry and ceramics with the idea that art could be functional. That’s what inspired me. There weren’t any museum-level sculptors or painters who made jewelry, so that’s where my journey began.”

Rosenzweig said she crisscrossed the United States in search of established artists to participate in her experiment. A two-year search turned up 10 whose works are currently being exhibited in museums nationwide. They are Lynda Benglis, Fletcher Benton, Joan Brown, Red Grooms, Lysiane Luong, Jim Morphesis, John Okulick, Alexis Smith, Dewain Valentine and William T. Wiley.

“At first, many of them were curious,” Rosenzweig said. “They all knew of the Bauhaus School and were intrigued with the idea of this new medium. Artists are curious by nature; many of them work on a large scale and wanted to see if they could work small.”

Fletcher Benton, who designs colossal outdoor sculptures, tried his hand at sculpting six pieces of jewelry--all abstract and geometric. Southern California painter Alexis Smith, influenced by the 1932 motion picture “Shanghai Express,” designed a neckpiece entitled “Sidewinder.” The front part of the 18-inch, sterling silver necklace resembles the Shanghai train, with a ruby and emerald used as lights. The rest of the necklace winds into the tail of a snake.

Prices for the jewelry range from $450 to $2,500; up to 350 limited edition pieces are available. “All the works are done in either 18-karat gold or sterling silver along with the use of small gems,” Rosenzweig said. “One of the objectives of the edition is that it be affordable to new collectors and veterans alike. The paintings and sculptures of the artists are unaffordable; this medium is a departure from works being unattainable.”

The “Echoes of Bauhaus” went on national tour in 1988 covering Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York and Boston. This year’s tour begins in San Diego, then heads for Tokyo.

According to Rosenzweig, this yearly event is the largest contemporary art exhibition in the Orient, and the only jewelry to be displayed will be that of her artists.

“So far, it’s been great. It’s like letting the genie out of the bottle--collectors seem to have been yearning for a medium like this and we’ve been swamped with by those who want the pieces. But more than anything else, it’s been exciting.”