Mary Lee Hu
Mary Hu
Choker #96
2021
Neckpiece. Twined 18 & 22K gold.
6 oz. 11 dwt. 16 grains.
9 1/2" x 8 1/4" x 1 1/2”
Mary Hu
Choker #96
2021
Neckpiece. Twined 18 & 22K gold.
6 oz. 11 dwt. 16 grains.
9 1/2" x 8 1/4" x 1 1/2”
Mary Hu
Bracelet #37.
Twined 22k and 18k gold, Lapis Lazuli. 1986.
31/4” × 23/4” × 1/2”
Interior opening: 21/2” × 2"
Proceeds from the sale of Bracelet #37 will go toward a Research Fellowship Fund for Jewelry & Metalsmithing which Mary Hu has established.
Bracelet #37, completed in 1986, is perhaps the most iconic and beloved of Hu’s bracelets (it is the artist’s personal favorite). Hu began twining in all gold in the early 1980s. Jeannine Falino, former curator of American Decorative Arts and Sculpture at the MFA, Boston writes, “Using this technique (twining), Hu is able to create elegant refined curves based upon deft handling of the warp, which can be appreciated in one of her rare bracelets that includes a carved lapis lazuli (Bracelet #37)."
Marcia Manhart, Curator of the “Eloquent Object: The Evolution Of American Art In Craft Media Since 1945” which originated at the Philbrook Art Museum in 1978, featured Bracelet #37 in that exhibition (Pictured on page 46 of the accompanying book of the same name). She wrote about Bracelet #37, “Hu’s woven gold bracelet represents a penchant for experimentation with classical structure and materials juxtaposed in new combinations. She imparts exquisite form to the material.”
Museum exhibitions for Bracelet #37 include: Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, 1989; Museum of Modern Art, Kyoto, 1989; Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo, 1990; Chaney Cowles Memorial Museum, Spokane, WA, 1991; Boise Art Museum, 1991; Seattle Art Museum, 1993; Metal Museum, Memphis, 1994; Tacoma Art Museum, 2000-2001; Nordjyllands Kunstmuseum, Aalborg, Denmark, 2001; Tonder Museum, Denmark, 2002; Fuller Museum, Brockton, MA, 2004; Cranbrook Museum, 2004; and Bellevue Arts Museum, Bellevue, WA, 2012.
Mary Hu
Earrings #126.
1988. 18k & 22k gold. Twined and hammered.
1 3/4” x 1 1/4” x 1/2"
Proceeds from the sale of Bracelet #37 will go toward a Research Fellowship Fund for Jewelry & Metalsmithing which Mary Hu has established.
The design of the Earrings #126 was inspired by ancient Celtic Torques. The earrings are a combination of twining and hammered tube shapes. Technically similar to Bracelet #47 (Collection of MFA, Boston) and Bracelet #41 (MAD, New York), Hu calls the pair “a slice of a bracelet” (but smaller). Hu states, “They are simply my favorite earrings. That is why I kept them.”
Museum exhibitions for Earrings #126 include: Tacoma Art Museum, 1989; Cheney Cowles Memorial Museum, Spokane, WA, 1991; Boise Art Museum, 1991; Southern Ohio Museum, Portsmouth, 1994; The McDonough Museum, Youngstown State University, 1994; Ohio Craft Museum, Columbus, 1994; and Bellevue Arts Museum, 2012.
Mary Hu
Choker #78.
18 and 22k, 30 gauge gold wire. Twined, tessellated, hammered. 1991.
6 3/8" × 8 7/8" × 1 1/2". Hand fabricated clasp.
Proceeds from the sale of Choker #78 will go toward a Research Fellowship Fund for Jewelry & Metalsmithing which Mary Hu has established.
Choker #78, made in 1991, is considered the most important necklace in Hu’s series of tessellated geometric neckpieces. It is the only major neckpiece that is woven with extremely thin 30 gauge 18k and 22k gold wire. After making this piece, Hu stopped working with 30 gauge wire because of its difficult size. The repeated geometric shapes are inspired by the construction of woven baskets.
Choker #78 personifies the assimilation of Hu’s great strengths: visibility of structure, clarity, and balance. Janet Koplos, contributing editor to Art in America writes about Choker #78 in “Knitted, Knotted, Twisted and Twined” the catalog/book accompanying Mary Lee Hu’s exhibition of the same name at the Bellevue Arts Museum. Koplos states, “A stellar example of Hu’s skill is Choker #78, in which the play of positive and negative is particularly noticeable. An amazingly complex structure, it is based on thin circles that overlap, each within a large oval that is defined by both positive elements and negative space; each circle is filled with a broad cross shape constructed of parallel lines. These shapes almost might be tiny baskets that just need to be folded and lashed at the seams to become volumetric. On the other hand, they also vaguely evoke prehistoric axe forms. The overlapping rings are more like Venn diagrams than Olympic Rings or links of chain but can momentarily evoke those as well. The perfection of this piece, as well as its material recalls the work of John Paul Miller — the granulations virtuoso a generation older than Hu but likewise inspired by the past, and likewise committed to gold despite its expense.”
Museum exhibitions for Choker #78 include: Seattle Art Museum, 1993; Metal Museum, Memphis, TN, 1994; Tacoma Art Museum, 1998; Bruce Gallery, Edinboro University, PA, 2000; Nordjyllands Kunstmuseum, Aalborg, 2001; Tonder Museum, Denmark, 2002; Columbus Museum of Art, OH, 2004; and Cranbrook Art Museum, 2004.
Mary Hu
Bracelet #17.
1982. Fine & sterling silver, 14K gold. Twined, soldered.
4" × 3 1/2" × 3/4"
Mary Hu
Choker #75
1988. Twined 18K and 22K gold
7" x 6 1/4" x 3/4"
Choker #75 was included in the following museum exhibitions:
1991 "Artists at Work: 25 Norhwest Glassmakers, Ceramicists & Jewelers", Cheney Cowles Memorial Museum, Spokane, WA & Boise Art Museum, ID
1992 "Repair Days Reunion", National Ornamental Metal Museum, Memphis, TN
1993 "Mary Lee Hu: Master Metalsmith", National Ornamental Metals Museum, Memphis, TN
2001 "Under the Influence", Tacoma Art Museum, Tacoma, WA
2001 "Flet/Braid Exhibition", Nordjyllands Kunstmuseum, Aalborg, Denmark & Tonder Museum, Denmark
Mary Hu
Choker #93
Twined 18K and 22K gold
20" long, central element measures 3" x 4.5"
Private Collection
- IMAGES:
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Mary Hu
Choker #96
2021
Neckpiece. Twined 18 & 22K gold.
6 oz. 11 dwt. 16 grains.9 1/2" x 8 1/4" x 1 1/2”
Mary Hu
Choker #96
2021
Neckpiece. Twined 18 & 22K gold.
6 oz. 11 dwt. 16 grains.9 1/2" x 8 1/4" x 1 1/2”
Mary Hu
Bracelet #37.
Twined 22k and 18k gold, Lapis Lazuli. 1986.
31/4” × 23/4” × 1/2”
Interior opening: 21/2” × 2"
Proceeds from the sale of Bracelet #37 will go toward a Research Fellowship Fund for Jewelry & Metalsmithing which Mary Hu has established.
Bracelet #37, completed in 1986, is perhaps the most iconic and beloved of Hu’s bracelets (it is the artist’s personal favorite). Hu began twining in all gold in the early 1980s. Jeannine Falino, former curator of American Decorative Arts and Sculpture at the MFA, Boston writes, “Using this technique (twining), Hu is able to create elegant refined curves based upon deft handling of the warp, which can be appreciated in one of her rare bracelets that includes a carved lapis lazuli (Bracelet #37)."
Marcia Manhart, Curator of the “Eloquent Object: The Evolution Of American Art In Craft Media Since 1945” which originated at the Philbrook Art Museum in 1978, featured Bracelet #37 in that exhibition (Pictured on page 46 of the accompanying book of the same name). She wrote about Bracelet #37, “Hu’s woven gold bracelet represents a penchant for experimentation with classical structure and materials juxtaposed in new combinations. She imparts exquisite form to the material.”
Museum exhibitions for Bracelet #37 include: Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, 1989; Museum of Modern Art, Kyoto, 1989; Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo, 1990; Chaney Cowles Memorial Museum, Spokane, WA, 1991; Boise Art Museum, 1991; Seattle Art Museum, 1993; Metal Museum, Memphis, 1994; Tacoma Art Museum, 2000-2001; Nordjyllands Kunstmuseum, Aalborg, Denmark, 2001; Tonder Museum, Denmark, 2002; Fuller Museum, Brockton, MA, 2004; Cranbrook Museum, 2004; and Bellevue Arts Museum, Bellevue, WA, 2012.
![85.-Earrings-126-1988-2]( "85.-Earrings-126-1988-2")
Mary Hu
Earrings #126.
1988. 18k & 22k gold. Twined and hammered.
1 3/4” x 1 1/4” x 1/2"
Proceeds from the sale of Bracelet #37 will go toward a Research Fellowship Fund for Jewelry & Metalsmithing which Mary Hu has established.
The design of the Earrings #126 was inspired by ancient Celtic Torques. The earrings are a combination of twining and hammered tube shapes. Technically similar to Bracelet #47 (Collection of MFA, Boston) and Bracelet #41 (MAD, New York), Hu calls the pair “a slice of a bracelet” (but smaller). Hu states, “They are simply my favorite earrings. That is why I kept them.”
Museum exhibitions for Earrings #126 include: Tacoma Art Museum, 1989; Cheney Cowles Memorial Museum, Spokane, WA, 1991; Boise Art Museum, 1991; Southern Ohio Museum, Portsmouth, 1994; The McDonough Museum, Youngstown State University, 1994; Ohio Craft Museum, Columbus, 1994; and Bellevue Arts Museum, 2012.
![023a06f930f1c1475b6313b5d6177623]( "023a06f930f1c1475b6313b5d6177623")
Mary Hu
Choker #78.
18 and 22k, 30 gauge gold wire. Twined, tessellated, hammered. 1991.
6 3/8" × 8 7/8" × 1 1/2". Hand fabricated clasp.
Proceeds from the sale of Choker #78 will go toward a Research Fellowship Fund for Jewelry & Metalsmithing which Mary Hu has established.
Choker #78, made in 1991, is considered the most important necklace in Hu’s series of tessellated geometric neckpieces. It is the only major neckpiece that is woven with extremely thin 30 gauge 18k and 22k gold wire. After making this piece, Hu stopped working with 30 gauge wire because of its difficult size. The repeated geometric shapes are inspired by the construction of woven baskets.
Choker #78 personifies the assimilation of Hu’s great strengths: visibility of structure, clarity, and balance. Janet Koplos, contributing editor to Art in America writes about Choker #78 in “Knitted, Knotted, Twisted and Twined” the catalog/book accompanying Mary Lee Hu’s exhibition of the same name at the Bellevue Arts Museum. Koplos states, “A stellar example of Hu’s skill is Choker #78, in which the play of positive and negative is particularly noticeable. An amazingly complex structure, it is based on thin circles that overlap, each within a large oval that is defined by both positive elements and negative space; each circle is filled with a broad cross shape constructed of parallel lines. These shapes almost might be tiny baskets that just need to be folded and lashed at the seams to become volumetric. On the other hand, they also vaguely evoke prehistoric axe forms. The overlapping rings are more like Venn diagrams than Olympic Rings or links of chain but can momentarily evoke those as well. The perfection of this piece, as well as its material recalls the work of John Paul Miller — the granulations virtuoso a generation older than Hu but likewise inspired by the past, and likewise committed to gold despite its expense.”
Museum exhibitions for Choker #78 include: Seattle Art Museum, 1993; Metal Museum, Memphis, TN, 1994; Tacoma Art Museum, 1998; Bruce Gallery, Edinboro University, PA, 2000; Nordjyllands Kunstmuseum, Aalborg, 2001; Tonder Museum, Denmark, 2002; Columbus Museum of Art, OH, 2004; and Cranbrook Art Museum, 2004.
![Brooch-38-2015-Mary-Lee-Hu]( "Brooch-38-2015-Mary-Lee-Hu")
![DSC00435]( "DSC00435")
![31.-Bracelet-17-1982-1250x1046]( "31.-Bracelet-17-1982-1250x1046")
Mary Hu
Bracelet #17.
1982. Fine & sterling silver, 14K gold. Twined, soldered.
4" × 3 1/2" × 3/4"
![Brooch-39-2018]( "Brooch-39-2018")
![DSC00454]( "DSC00454")
![Brooch-40-2018]( "Brooch-40-2018")
![Hu Choker75.jpg]( "Hu Choker75.jpg")
Mary Hu
Choker #75
1988. Twined 18K and 22K gold
7" x 6 1/4" x 3/4"
Choker #75 was included in the following museum exhibitions:
1991 "Artists at Work: 25 Norhwest Glassmakers, Ceramicists & Jewelers", Cheney Cowles Memorial Museum, Spokane, WA & Boise Art Museum, ID
1992 "Repair Days Reunion", National Ornamental Metal Museum, Memphis, TN
1993 "Mary Lee Hu: Master Metalsmith", National Ornamental Metals Museum, Memphis, TN
2001 "Under the Influence", Tacoma Art Museum, Tacoma, WA
2001 "Flet/Braid Exhibition", Nordjyllands Kunstmuseum, Aalborg, Denmark & Tonder Museum, Denmark![DSC00446]( "DSC00446")
![Brooch-43-2019]( "Brooch-43-2019")
![DSC00441-2]( "DSC00441-2")
![67-Brooch-20-2008]( "67-Brooch-20-2008")
![HuML_Brooch#33_Orchid_2010_18K22Kgold_3.75x4.75x1.jpg]( "HuML_Brooch#33_Orchid_2010_18K22Kgold_3.75x4.75x1.jpg")
![Brooch-44-2019]( "Brooch-44-2019")
![Hu_Mary_Choker-91_01.jpg-9-27-2013-9-26-19-PM-2152x2400.-91]( "Hu_Mary_Choker-91_01.jpg-9-27-2013-9-26-19-PM-2152x2400.-91")
![DSC00449]( "DSC00449")
![DSC00453]( "DSC00453")
![Brooch-45-2019]( "Brooch-45-2019")
![Brooch-46-2019]( "Brooch-46-2019")
![Hu Earrings#193.JPG]( "Hu Earrings#193.JPG")
![DSC00436]( "DSC00436")
![Brooch-47-2019]( "Brooch-47-2019")
![Hu-Earrings-blk-sm]( "Hu-Earrings-blk-sm")
![Hu Earrings2.jpg]( "Hu Earrings2.jpg")
![better_bracelet_image]( "better_bracelet_image")
![HuML_Necklace_Choker#93.jpg]( "HuML_Necklace_Choker#93.jpg")
Mary Hu
Choker #93
Twined 18K and 22K gold
20" long, central element measures 3" x 4.5"
Private Collection
![DSC00457-copy]( "DSC00457-copy")
![135967_76ffd76e-7a2c-485d-8292-e1b28ebb828c_1024x1024@2x.jpg]( "135967_76ffd76e-7a2c-485d-8292-e1b28ebb828c_1024x1024@2x.jpg")
![135959_1024x1024@2x.jpg]( "135959_1024x1024@2x.jpg")
![135962_1024x1024@2x.jpg]( "135962_1024x1024@2x.jpg")
Mary Hu
Choker #96
2021
Neckpiece. Twined 18 & 22K gold.
6 oz. 11 dwt. 16 grains.
9 1/2" x 8 1/4" x 1 1/2”
Mary Hu
Choker #96
2021
Neckpiece. Twined 18 & 22K gold.
6 oz. 11 dwt. 16 grains.
9 1/2" x 8 1/4" x 1 1/2”
Mary Hu
Bracelet #37.
Twined 22k and 18k gold, Lapis Lazuli. 1986.
31/4” × 23/4” × 1/2”
Interior opening: 21/2” × 2"
Mary Hu
Choker #78.
18 and 22k, 30 gauge gold wire. Twined, tessellated, hammered. 1991.
6 3/8" × 8 7/8" × 1 1/2". Hand fabricated clasp.
Mary Hu
Bracelet #17.
1982. Fine & sterling silver, 14K gold. Twined, soldered.
4" × 3 1/2" × 3/4"
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MARY LEE HU
b. 1943, United States
Weaving gold into regal jewels, master goldsmith Mary Lee Hu uses her hands rather than a loom. Hu twines still high carat gold wires into necklaces, brooches, earrings and rings, giving them the illusion of fluidity and softness as only she can.
“After I had been weaving for a while, I was examining a Northweast Coast cedar bark basket with a surface texture I liked and found that it used two wefts in each row that were twisting around each other as they went over and under the warps — one went over and the other went under each warp, then they passed each other as they went up and down so as to become twisted. This is called twining and it is used extensively in basketry and also to make loom-woven rugs. I fell in love with it. When twisting two elements, the tighter the twist, and the wider the flat elements are compared to their height, the more of a diagonal one will see in the twist. This diagonal is what attracted me to the way the surface of twining appeared. I wanted to replicate it, so I used two round wires running next to each other to make a wider weft element, and kept my warps closely spaced to give a tighter twist. Using double weft elements has been referred to by others as double twining and I have used it almost exclusively since 1976.”
– Mary Lee Hu, Knitted, Knotted, Twisted & Twined: The Jewelry of Mary Lee Hu
“Mary Hu has affirmed her distinctive voice in the world of jewelry with her elegant and voluptuous creations. Using wire the way hand weavers use threads, Hu has blazed a trail both as artist and innovator, exploring the nexus between metalsmithing and textile techniques, often through the recovery of precedents from the near and ancient past throughout the world, and following her innate aspiration to perfection and her stubborn curiosity in pursuing aesthetic challenge.”
– from “Knitted, Knotted, Twisted and Twined” by Stefano Catalani, director of Arts, Crafts and Design at the Bellevue Arts Museum
Selected Collections
- Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, IL
- Museum of Arts and Design, New York, NY
- Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, MA
- National Ornamental Metals Museum, Memphis, TN
- Renwick Gallery, National Museum of American Art, Washington DC
- Victoria and Albert Museum, London, United Kingdom
- Numerous private collections throughout the United States and internationally
Click here to view the newsletter Mary Hu: Superlative Treasures & Studio Tour
Beyond Brilliance
@ The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
Mary Lee Hu’s neckpiece, Choker #88, is currently on view at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston as part of Beyond Brilliance: Jewelry Highlights from the Collection in the Rita J. and Stanley H. Kaplan Family Foundation Gallery.
Beyond Brilliance celebrates “the universality of body adornment throughout the ages and across cultures, this newly renovated gallery presents highlights from the MFA’s renowned jewelry collection. From ancient artifacts to fine jewelry to designs made by contemporary artists, the presentation connects objects that span 4,000 years by exploring how jewelry can communicate strong messages about its wearer and exemplify the art and culture of its time.”
More information about the exhibition.