NOMADE EXQUIS Fall ’09 presents Métaux Mélangés, over seventy-five pieces of vintage organic

modernist, biomorphic and brutalist copper, brass, silver and mixed medium jewelry from the late

1950’s through the late 1970’s. !is collection of modernist works assembled over eighteen months

by curator Mo Clancy features artisans such as Robert Larin, Guy Vidal, De Passille-Sylvestre, Jorma

Laine and Pentti Sarpaneva.

Métaux Mélangés explores the workmanship of the craftspeople who contributed to these movements,

with shapes, materials and intentions appreciated as a true art form.

FALL 2009 CATALOGUEMétaux Mélangés

ROBERT LARINsilver plated pewter necklace with brass round Montreal, c. 1970

Opposite:UNSIGNEDbronze 3-tiered necklace with neckringUnknown origin, c. 1960

ROBERT LARINgold plated bracelet with black rounds and pin claspMontreal, c. 1970

Opposite:ROBERT LARINgold plated 3 inch cu! with pin clasp Montreal, c. 1970

ROBERT LARINsilver plated pewter chain link beltMontreal, c. 1970

Left to Right:UNSIGNEDsilver dome ring with brass inlays Unknown origin, c. 1970

JORMA LAINEbronze ring with deep groovesFinland, c. 1970

Left to Right:JORMA LAINEbronze ring with round cutawaysFinland, c. 1970

PENTTI SARPANEVAbronze ring with solid roundFinland, c. 1960

PENTTI SARPANEVA FOR TURUN HOPEA OYbronze oval ringFinland, c. 1960

PENTTI SARPANEVAFOR TURUN HOPEA OYbronze round ringFinland, c. 1960

JORMA LAINEsilver celestial ringFinland, c. 1970

ROBERT LARINbrass plated pewter bracelet with turquoise studsMontreal, c. 1970

MARJORIE BAERbrass round pendant with copper hinges and snake chainSan Francisco, c. late 1970’s

Top to Bottom:MARJORIE BAERbrass round pendant with copper hinges and snake chainSan Francisco, c. late 1970’s

MARJORIE BAERsilver round pendant with metal mesh chainSan Francisco, c. late 1970’s

MARJORIE BAERbrass round with woven brass circular overlaySan Francisco, c. late 1970’s

Left to Right:JORMA LAINEbronze celestial bracelet with chain closureFinland, c. 1970

JORMA LAINEbronze celestial necklaceFinland, c. 1970

JORMA LAINEbronze celestial ringFinland, c. 1970

Left to Right:JORMA LAINEbronze celestial bracelet with chain closureFinland, c. 1970

JORMA LAINEbronze celestial necklaceFinland, c. 1970

Top to Bottom:JORMA LAINEbronze heart valve ringFinland, c. 1970

JORMA LAINEbronze valve necklaceFinland, c. 1970

PENTTI SARPANEVAbronze lava necklaceFinland, c. 1960

PENNTTI SARPANEVAbronze pendant with neckring Finland, c. 1970

LUCIANOhand wrought brass necklace with Eliat stoneItaly, c. 1960

Top to Bottom:LUCIANOhand wrought brass necklace with Eliat stoneItaly, c. 1960

UNSIGNEDbrass braceletUnknown origin, c. 1960

Left to Right:DE PASSILLE-SYLVESTRE gold plated enameled blue hues pendant with chainMontreal, c. late 1970’s

DE PASSILLE-SYLVESTREgold plated enameled brown hues pendant with chainMontreal, c. 1970’s

DE PASSILLE-SYLVESTREgold plated enameled red hues round pendant with chain

GUY (GILES) VIDALsilver 3-tiered pendant with chainMontreal, c. 1960

UNSIGNEDsilver crushed braceletUnknown origin, c. 1970

BETTY COOKEsilver choker with white quartzBaltimore, c. late 1970’s

UNSIGNEDsilver choker with quartz and pearlsUnknown origin, c. 1970’s

UNSIGNEDbrass earingsUnknown origin, c. 1970

Top to Bottom:UNSIGNEDmixed metal necklace with brass neckringLondon, c. 1960

UNSIGNEDmixed metal necklace with knotted brass neckringLondon, c. 1960

UNSIGNEDmixed metals of copper, brass and silver bracelet with agate stoneUnknown origin, c. 1970

Opposite:LOUIS GIUSTIbrass fish with flexible spineUnknown origin, c. 1970

UNSIGNEDbrass belt buckle with newly constructed muslin braided/tea dyed beltUnknown origin, c. late 1960’s

NOMADE EXQUIS is a nomadic purveyor of luxury hard-to-find and limited edition goods, all curated with a perceptive eye, relentless taste and a modern edge. Once a year, NOMADE EXQUIS presents an o"ering of distinctive goods with an augural look at the directions of covetable design.

NOMADE EXQUIS is a collaborative, ever-changing family of established and emerging creators.

MO CLANCYFounder + Curator

Mo Clancy is a former fashion trend watcher & cultural forecasted – advising on social movements and fashion influencers for iconic brands including Levi Strauss, Nike and Proctor & Gamble UK. In addition, Mo co-founded one of the country’s first influencer & cultural anthropology companies, Ammo (www.ammomarketing.com).

Mo launched NOMADE EXQUIS in 2008, during which she privately sold a line of handmade and hand dyed clothing and accessories to celebrities, tastemakers and stylists.

MATT DICKCollaborator

Matt Dick is a designer and creative director. His work in textile and clothing design, fashion branding, and product development has kept him involved in the Japanese market since 1997, although he is based in San Francisco. After eight years working for Tamotsu Yagi Design, he opened Matocreative, continuing to work in the areas of clothing design, space design, and art direction. He is guest faculty in the Design and Technology department of the San Francisco Art Institute. Matt and Mo worked together to produce the elegantly raw belts for the Fall ‘09 NOMADE EXQUIS (Matt designed and produced the braids; Mo provided vintage buckle and tea dying). Matt will be contributing to NOMADE EXQUIS again in 2010.

ELENA LACUESTACollaborator

!e images of Métaux Mélangés comprise the second round of collaboration between NOMADE EXQUIS and LA-based photographer Elena Lacuesta, whose polished yet raw work originates from the juxtaposition between her early inspirations of record bands such as Bikini Kill and the later influence of photographer Sally Mann. Prior to hitting the LA photo scene, she earned her B.A. at Pasadena’s prestigious Art Center College of Design. Currently she maintains her studio in LA, where she continues to create some of the world’s most evocative photographs for fashion and music. www.elenamarialacuesta.com

Photography: Elena LacuestaCatalogue Design: Carrie Nelle BurginModel: Alicia Ottinger

SPECIAL APPRECIATION TO: Allison Storr, Ben Bennett, Gustavo Wainzbot and Shelly Socol Wainzbot, Doris Raymond.

INDEX OF NOMADE EXQUIS FALL ’09 MODERNIST CATEGORIES

Organic modernism is characterized by marrying organic shapes and/or materials with more structured architectural elements.

Brutalism is typically a raw, unstructured style, often the surface looks damaged, reminiscent of broken rock or forming lava – quite primitive but elegant.

Biomorphism incorporates fluid lines and biological-derived ideas, often amoeba-like shapes, with the use of mixed or singular metals.

www.nomadeexquis.com

FEATURED ARTISANS

PENTTI SARPANEVA // FinlandWell-known Finnish jeweler is Pentti Sarpaneva, a graphics designer started to experiment with jewelry styles in 1950. !e public did not take to his outrageous designs where he used natural materials such as bark, wood, feathers - and even incorporated zips and the like. In the 1960’s and 1970’s Pentti came back with his wonderful bronze creations exploiting rough surfaces and unpolished gemstones. !ey had a look of volcanic lava flowing over them. He produced Folk jewelry as well but even here there was still an untamed rather than traditional feel to his designs.

JORMA LAINE // FinlandA prolific member of the Finnish modernist movement, Jorma Laine produced much of his work in the ’60s and ‘70s adhering to the bold but organic style that was the signature of Finnish movement. Laine’s interpretation is chunky and bold, typically featuring brass or bronze. Most of his designs are abstract structures or reflect the shapes of Arctic nature phenomenon: changing seasons, midnight sun or northern lights.

ROBERT LARIN // MontrealRobert Larin was creating pewter jewelry as early as 1968 based in Montreal, PQ and selling across Canada. Born in Montreal, he was in his mid 20’s in the late 1960’s and maintained a factory on rue Papineau. Here he employed approximately 25 workers most of whom were deaf, which worked perfectly in a noisy shop where communication even between those who could hear, had to be in sign language.

Most of Larin’s production jewelry was made of pewter, which was cast by the lost wax process and then filed by hand to remove the rough surfaces left by the casting. !e piece was then oxidized or plated with silver or gold and then, finally polished. He only produced work during 1968 through 1972.

GUY (AKA GILLES) VIDAL // MontrealGilles Vidal was also a Montreal based designer, who worked in pewter and was in production at about the same time as Larin in the late 1960’s to early 1970’s. It was thought among the jewelry fraternity that Vidal’s designs were somewhat more sophisticated and daintier than Larin’s and it was also said that Vidal had concocted his own pewter formula which provided an ability to work finer designs that still held their strength, as pewter, a lead alloy is very soft and finer work can bend easily and be damaged.

DE PASSILLE-SYLVESTRE // Montreal!e talented team of Micheline de Passille and Yves Sylvestre began their shop in St. Adele PQ in 1960. Skilled enamalists, their work embodies the most prized elements of colour and form related to modern design. !eir early work is all hand done and enameled on both sides where it was signed by also by hand.

MARJORIE BAER // San FranciscoMarjorie’s career began on the steps of New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art in the late 60’s. It was there that the recent Berkeley grad displayed her first group of hand-crafted necklaces, bracelets and earrings-the pioneering pieces that would lay the groundwork for 18 years of collections. Ms. Baer prides herself on producing all works through artisans in U.S. and still maintains a studio in San Franscisco.

CARL TASHA // ProvincetownAmerican modernist Carl Tasha is an artist, sculptor and jewelry designer based in Provincetown. Carl was considered a maverick in the modernist movement during the 1960’s, producing raw, primal pieces that still held true to modernism’s shapes and materials.

BETTY COOKE // BaltimorePart of the east coast modernist movement, Betty Cooke’s work has become highly sought after and collected. Betty Cooke graduated in the 1950’s from John Hopkins School of Design and in the early 1960’s joined other artisans such as Art Smith of New York in pioneering the modernist movement on the east coast, a school of thought that marries strong architectural design with organic forms.