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The Cleveland Museum of Art

The Jewelry of John Paul Miller

Tags for: The Jewelry of John Paul Miller
  • Special Exhibition
Wednesday, June 16, 2010–Sunday, January 2, 2011
Location: East Wing, Gallery 224

Polyp Colony Pendant Brooch, 1985. John Paul Miller (American, b. 1918). Gold, enamel. Collection of Martha J. Fleischman © John Paul Miller

  1.  Black and Gold Pendant Brooch, 1982. John Paul Miller (American, b. 1918). Gold. Private Collection © John Paul Miller 
  2.   Rhinoceros Brooch, 1974. John Paul Miller (American, b. 1918). Gold; 5.1 x 5.1 cm. The Cleveland Museum of Art, In memory of Ann White Kennedy, gift of her family 1979.35 © John Paul Miller 
  3.  Helgramite Pendant Brooch, 1988. John Paul Miller (American, b. 1918). Gold, enamel. Collection of Barbara G. Fleischman © John Paul Miller 
  4.  Crab Pendant Brooch, 1962. John Paul Miller (American, b. 1918). Gold, enamel; 5.715 x 4.1 cm. Collection of Franny Taft © John Paul Miller 
  5.  Hermit Crab Pendant Brooch, 1984. John Paul Miller (American, b. 1918). Gold, enamel. Private Collection © John Paul Miller 
  6.  Squid Pendant Brooch, 1959. John Paul Miller (American, b. 1918). Gold, enamel. Collection of Charles S. Tramontana © John Paul Miller 
  7.   Snail Pendant Brooch, 1956. John Paul Miller (American, b. 1918). Gold, enamel; 6.1 x 2.5 cm. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Silver Jubilee Treasure Fund 1956.113 © John Paul Miller 
  8.  Peacock Pendant Brooch, 1980. John Paul Miller (American, b. 1918). Gold, enamel. On loan from the family of Harlan E. Sherman © John Paul Miller 
  9.  Moth Pendant Brooch, 1994. John Paul Miller (American, b. 1918). Gold, enamel. Collection of Barbara S. Robinson © John Paul Miller 
  10.  Talisman Necklace, 1985. John Paul Miller (American, b. 1918). Gold, silk. Collection of Mrs. Scott R. Inkley © John Paul Miller 
View More CMA Objects in the Exhibition

About The Exhibition

At once an artist, teacher, and craftsman, John Paul Miller personifies a lifetime of creative expression. The Cleveland Museum of Art celebrates this living legend and master goldsmith in an exhibition installation of more than 50 of his incredible works, including sketchbooks and drawings, spanning nearly 60 years of his illustrious career. His two greatest passions—music and art—seemingly converge in work that moves from poetic forms to intensely intricate compositions. His earliest creations are lyrically simple, biomorphic forms characteristic of the modern era. Miller's fascination with technique and process emerged in his groundbreaking rediscovery in the early 1950s of granulation, an ancient, yet forgotten, way of fusing tiny gold beads to a gold surface without solder. The fleeting creatures of earth, sea, and sky—snails, squids, crabs, moths, and flies—became his muse, inspiring a complicated palette of seductive enamels and textured forms. Historical reference and modern abstraction also infuse his designs, bringing together that which he saw and that which he imagined to form a body of work full of curiosity and self-expression. Opens June 15, 2010, in the Betty and Max Ratner Gallery on the second floor of the east wing.

Organized by the Cleveland Museum of Art. The Cleveland Museum of Art is generously funded by Cuyahoga County residents through Cuyahoga Arts and Culture. The Ohio Arts Council helped fund this exhibition with state tax dollars to encourage economic growth, educational excellence, and cultural enrichment for all Ohioans.