Man Ray and Diana W. Picasso

I really like Man Ray's photo of Catherine Deneuve. Her earrings were designed by Man Ray himself. Jewellery made by artists, and by Man Ray in particular, was my source of inspiration when designing my own line of 24K gold jewellery, MENE, launched in 2017 with my friend Roy Sebag. Catherine Deneuve was one of Man Ray’s emblematic muses, and she posed with her gold-plated spiral earrings in his little studio on rue Ferou for the June 1968 cover of the Sunday Times Magazine. The earrings were inspired by Lampshade, a series of spiralled sheet-metal shades designed by Man Ray between 1919 and 1954, one of which can be seen behind the actress. Here, the jewellery forms a dialogue with the geometric and organic shapes of pieces made by the artist and positioned around the model, whose slightly wavy hair seems to echo the delicate twist of the precious metal.

Mrs Diana W. Picasso, Art Historian and and co-founder of the innovative jewelry brand 24k Menē

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