Eleanor Moty—Riven Brooch
Metalsmith Eleanor Moty is widely recognized for her interest in new techniques and interdisciplinary approaches to jewelry making. She is an authority on electroplating and photo-etching, processes on which she has published and lectured extensively. Her subtle, immaculately crafted work is inspired by architecture, geometry, chemistry, and art. Combining complexly cut precious and non-precious stones, her supremely elegant pieces reward close attention.
Trained as a metalsmith and an artist, Moty received her BFA from the University of Illinois and her MFA from Tyler School of Art, Temple University. She has recently retired from a professorship at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where she taught for 28 years. Moty is the recipient of two craftsman's fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts and her works have been exhibited in museums and galleries all over the world. Her most recent solo exhibition took place in 2012 at the National Ornamental Metal Museum in Memphis, TN. She is the subject of numerous articles and is represented in the permanent collections of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, the National Museum of American Art, Smithsonian Institution, in Washington D.C., and the Racine Art Museum.
Open at Racine Art Museum through January 28, 2023, Quiet Elegance: The Jewelry of Eleanor Moty showcases over 35 works created throughout the career of the titular metalsmith—several taken from RAM's permanent collection alongside recently finished pieces and sketches borrowed from the artist. This exhibition owes its name to a recently published monograph on the artist. Quiet Elegance: The Jewelry of Eleanor Moty, published by Arnoldsche Art Publishers and co-authored by RAM Executive Director and Curator of Collections Bruce W. Pepich, is available through the RAM Museum Store.
Sterling silver, 18k-gold, tourmalinated quartz, white topaz, and black paper micarta
3 1/8 x 3/4 x 3/8 inches
Photography: Eleanor Moty
Given the value of this piece, RAM members must call the RAM Museum Store at 262.638.8200 to discuss their member discount.
