Press Release L’ÉCOLE
From June through early October 2026, L’ÉCOLE in Paris is presenting more than 75 works by Daniel Brush — jewelry, sculpture, and works on paper — many rarely seen outside his New York studio.
Brush (1947–2022) was never easy to categorize. He began as a painter and philosopher, then moved fully into metal. By the late 1970s he had turned his loft into a workshop filled with antique lathes and hand tools, choosing to work slowly — and largely alone.
This exhibition matters because most of these pieces do not travel. Some are being shown publicly for the first time.
If you’re expecting a traditional jewelry exhibition — showcases of finished pieces presented as luxury — that’s not quite what this is. Brush treated metal as something to explore, not simply shape. Gold, steel, titanium, diamonds — the focus is on surface, light, and the discipline of making.
You can see how much time went into each piece. The surfaces are worked, not polished away. Nothing feels rushed.
For those of us in the trade, the show is a reminder of how far jewelry can stretch when it steps outside trend cycles and production timelines. It won’t be everyone’s taste. It’s not meant to be. But it is serious work — and rarely seen.
If you’re in Paris this summer, it’s worth the visit.
The Diamond Egg
Perhaps no object captures Brush’s approach better than Diamond Egg (#90) (1991–1993), now in the Smithsonian American Art Museum.
Made of steel and 24-karat gold and set with diamonds, the egg measures less than two inches across. It’s small. Dense. Intimate.
It’s not flashy. The diamonds are not there for status. They function more like glittering points of light against a dark field.
The surface is worked — layered, carved, built up. It feels architectural, almost like a dome compressed into something you can hold in your hand.
Scale mattered to Brush. His pieces were meant to be held, examined, turned slowly.
Again — you can see how much time went into it.
© L’ÉCOLE Van Cleef & Arpels，相片: Tony Falcone
© L’ÉCOLE Van Cleef & Arpels，相片: Tony Falcone
Tap here to find out more about this important Paris exhibition!
