Venyx × Man Ray: Medium Gold Venus Restored Necklace
Designed by Eugenie Niarchos for Venyx World, this gold, diamond, and stone pendant necklace was inspired by Man Ray’s plaster sculpture Vénus restaurée (Venus Restored, 1936), a Surrealist icon modeled after the Medici Venus. Man Ray “rectified” the form of the first-century BCE original by twining rope around its body in a fetishistic allusion to the Marquis de Sade, subversively combining a long-celebrated symbol of feminine beauty with a paean to erotic mischief. In this interpretation, the female nude torso is hand-carved from white cacholong, a variety of opal, and intertwined with 18-karat gold threads that are pavé-set with brilliant diamonds.
The Gagosian Shop is the exclusive retail partner for the Venyx × Man Ray collection. Each limited-edition piece is made to order; the lead time for the Medium Gold Venus Restored Necklace is eight weeks.
Producer: Venyx World
Year: 2023
Material: Yellow gold (18k) with diamonds (0.36 ct), and cacholong
Dimensions: Pendant: 1 1/4 × 3/4 × 1/4 inches (3.3 × 1.9 × 0.75 cm); Chain length: 23 1/2 inches (60 cm)
Edition: Edition of 20
