American artist, Paula Crevoshay, will open her Paris exhibition “Illuminations - Earth to Jewel” November 9, 2016 at one of the world’s greatest mineral museums, that of Mines ParisTech in the former palace of the Duchess of Vendome overlooking the Luxemburg Gardens.
From ancient times until the present day mankind has been fascinated by beautiful crystals. Crevoshay carefully pairs fabulous specimens from the museum’s vast collection with exquisite jewels to show us a wonderful juxtaposition of the greatest art of nature and the artistic achievements of man.
In “Illuminations – Earth to Jewel”, Crevoshay takes us on a tour of some of the most beautiful minerals, the gems crafted from them, and the amazing artistic jewelry she produces using what she calls the “tangible light” seen within the gems themselves. Crevoshay says, “I paint with gemstones, not just with their myriad colors but with their light. Each gemstone has its own ability to transmit light inherent to that particular mineral. I call it ‘tangible light’. It is truly the light of the earth.”
Paula Crevoshay, renowned in jewelry circles as “The Queen of Color” for her painterly approach to creating her one of a kind fine art jewels, is recognized as one of the leading lights of modern jewelry design. Her work can be found in many important public and private collections and is on permanent display in many museums including the Gemological Institute of America Museums, Carnegie Museum and the Smithsonian Institute where it continues to surprise and delight their many visitors year after year.
The Musée de Minéralogie is part of the École nationale supérieure des mines de Paris (Mines ParisTech). “Les Mines” is among the very elite French Grandes Ecoles.
The school was established in 1783, and the museum itself in 1794 under René Just Haüy as a Cabinet of Mineralogy “containing all production in the world and all productions of the Republic, arranged by locality.” Today the museum has one of the largest and most important mineral collections in the world.
The exhibition will run from November 9, 2016 through February 1, 2017.www.musee.mines-paristech.fr.
