Menē pays homage to Louise Bourgeois in new jewelry collection

The "investment jewelry," renowned for its 24-karat pieces, has partnered with the Easton Foundation to celebrate the late French sculptor.

The Menē x Louise Bourgeois collection features three pieces of jewelry, made either of 24-karat gold or platinum, that are inspired by some of Bourgeois's most iconic sculptures.

Among them are pendants replicating her "Arch of Hysteria" and "Spiral," as well as a 24-karat version of "Spider" that can be mounted on a brooch.

These jewelry sculptures were selected by Menē's design team, composed of art historian Diana Widmaier Picasso and designer Sunjoo Moon, in collaboration with Bourgeois's longtime assistant and director of the Easton Foundation, Jerry Gorovoy.

"We looked to the archives to see what was feasible and decided on these three sculptures, because they are really jewelry sculptures: 'The Spider,' 'Arch of Hysteria,' and 'Spiral,'" Picasso told finance media Barron's Penta, adding that Bourgeois would have liked the 24-karat pieces for their organic feel.

Moon also noted that replicating Bourgeois's sculptures was a technical achievement, with the original version of "Arch of Hysteria" being more than three-feet wide.

The designer recalled that the "Spider" brooch was the most challenging piece to craft, telling Penta that "we needed to work around which were the ones that would work the best as jewelry" while being true to the aesthetic of Bourgeois.

Much like all of Menē's creations, the prices of the Louise Bourgeois-inspired jewelry pieces are aligned with the weight and fluctuate to match prevailing market rates for precious metals.

The "Spider" pendant was being sold at $4,377.10 at the time of this writing, while the replica of "Arch of Hysteria" was offered for $3,454.79.

The "Spiral" pendant, which weights 53.02 grams, was listed for $3,296.75 at some time this Monday, December 16.

These prices notably include a fee of 20% applied by Menē for design, manufacturing, shipping, and insurance.

Louise Bourgeois made headlines earlier this year when her 1997 "Spider" fetched $32 million during Christie's Post-War and Contemporary Art evening sale, setting a new auction record for the late French sculptor.