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PRESS RELEASE: Desert Jewels
August 26, 2008For Immediate Release
For Additional Information contact: Brendan Wattenberg,Traveling Exhibit Coordinator (718) 784-7700 x103Desert Jewels: North African Jewelry and Photography from the Xavier Guerrand-Hermès Collection
Organized by The Museum for African Art
and
Sponsored by Merrill Lynch
Exhibition Dates: October 8, 2008 – January 11, 2009
Exhibition Location: The National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution
Washington, D.C. — An exhibition of spectacular jewelry and historic photographs from the North African nations of Algeria, Libya, Morocco, Egypt and Tunisia opens to the public on October 10 at the National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Desert Jewels: North African Jewelry and Photography from the Xavier Guerrand-Hermès Collection presents approximately 80 never before exhibited pieces of stunning North African jewelry and 27 late 19th- and early 20th-century photographs by some of the period’s most prominent photographers. Desert Jewels is organized by the Museum for African Art in New York and is sponsored by Merrill Lynch.
Desert Jewels will be on view in Washington, D.C. at the National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution, from October 8, 2008 to January 11, 2008, followed by a national tour.
Collected over three decades by Xavier Guerrand-Hermès, Desert Jewels illuminates the diversity and beauty of traditional North African jewelry design. Ornate necklaces, bracelets, rings, and earrings show the inventive compositions and dazzling creations of North African jewelry designers and silver workers. Crafted from combinations of silver, coral, amber, coins, and semi-precious stones, the exquisite collection includes wedding necklaces, hair ornaments, bracelets, earrings, and fibula used to keep veils in place. The jewelry featured in Desert Jewels shows the common threads of Berber culture that run through North African societies, and also local variations in materials and motifs.
The Xavier Guerrand-Hermès collection, a portion of which has been given to the Museum for African Art in New York, is extraordinary for its breadth and quality. “From simple ornaments that would be worn by a child, to elaborate jeweled necklaces for women of wealth,” said Elsie C. McCabe, President of the Museum for African Art, “the Guerrand-Hermès collection is a treasure that reflects the richness of the cultures of North Africa as well as the collector’s superlative taste.”
North African jewelry came to the attention of Western collectors in the 19th century, the period when archaeological monuments in North Africa were being explored, visited, and, in some cases, pillaged. The most important photographers of the day, including the Scotsman George Washington Wilson, the Neurdine brothers from France, and the Turkish photographer Pascal Sabah, visited the region and photographed landscapes, architecture, markets, and people adorned in their jewels. Many of the images were used in postcards, while others remained hidden in little known collections.
"Merrill Lynch is pleased to partner with The Museum for African Art and The National Museum of African Art to bring these never before displayed pieces and photographs to the viewing public," said Brett Bernard, Merrill Lynch regional managing director Global Wealth Management, Washington, D.C. "We truly recognize the importance of investing in the preservation and development of cultural and educational programming in the communities where we work and live.”
The National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution, located at 950 Independence Avenue, SW, is open daily, 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
The Museum for African Art in New York is one of the premier institutions in the United States devoted to exhibiting traditional and contemporary African art. On September 24, 2007, the Museum broke ground for a new permanent museum building designed by Robert A. M. Stern, Dean of the Yale University School of Architecture, on Manhattan’s Museum Mile at Fifth Avenue between 109th and 110th Street. The Museum’s administrative offices, educational facility, and gift shop are temporarily located in Long Island City. Exhibitions are currently presented at off-site locations in New York City and tour nationally and internationally. For further information about the Museum and its exhibits, see www.africanart.org or call (718) 784-7700.
Merrill Lynch is one of the world’s leading wealth management, capital markets and advisory companies with offices in 40 countries and territories and total client assets of approximately $1.6 trillion. As an investment bank, it is a leading global trader and underwriter of securities and derivatives across a broad range of asset classes and serves as a strategic advisor to corporations, institutions, and individuals worldwide. Merrill Lynch owns approximately half of BlackRock, one of the world’s largest publicly traded investment management companies, with more than $1 trillion in assets under management. For more information on Merrill Lynch, please visit www.ml.com.