Sam Kramer - My Kind of
Eccentric!
Have you noticed the sale prices for
Modernist sterling, especially American Studio lately? We have as we love these pieces and subsequently we are always trying to Find good period examples.
While not in the forefront of this
movement, America did participate in this artistic shift during the period late 1920s to 1930 when Modernism was entering popular culture in a big way. yes, this is also part of the
Art Deco period. In fact, the
periods not only overlap, they
are related and some would say one in the same except for location. If you lived in Germany you called it the
Bauhaus movement. If you resided in Paris it was Art Deco. In England a movement called Arts and Crafts supervened all of the above mentioned.
How do they relate? Well they were all considered rebellious cultural movements and they spoke to the political and socioeconomic
currents of the day. Times were a changing!
Speaking strictly about American Studio Modernist jewelry during the 1940s artists of like minds formed communities. They were not mainstream thinkers and thus were not bound by any current norms. In
fact, they rejected them.
One of the places these Avant- garde artists set up shops was Greenwich Village/Washington Square, New York. Greenwich Village is located on Lower Manhattans' west side. It was known as far back as the late 19th century for its funky art and attitude! Eccentrics of all stripes, writers, poets, sculpture, artists all found there way to the
Village.
Sam Kramer found his way to the Village before many of his contemporaries having arrived
from Pittsburg during the late 1930s.
During the 1940s the Village took off
again as many artist gravitated to this magical place.
These cufflinks embody several
characteristics that Mr. Kramer became known for including the applied biomorphic elements. They were constructed in layers.
Click
on the image for a larger view and description.
They are weighty cufflinks in sterling. They are signed with Sam Kramer's
famous mushroom mark.
I think you need supreme confidence, imagination and a sense of humor to
create cufflink like these at any time, let alone during the late 1950s- early
1960s. Just Google cufflinks from that time period that were not artisan and you will se what I mean! All of the traits I mentioned most likely helped Mr. Kramer free his mind of the what is expected and allow it travel to the unexpected.
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