Jean Després

1889 – 1980 • French

Biography

Jean Després was a French jewelry maker and designer best known for his intricate Art Deco jewelry made from semi-precious stones, machine parts, and enamel. Després’ aesthetics were largely inspired by his friendships with avent-garde artists, including the Cubist Georges Braque. Born on June 15, 1889 in Souvigny, France, his father owned a jewelry shop and sent off his son to apprentice with a goldsmith and jeweler when he was 16. Després studied design at nights while in Paris and mingled in the Montmarte scene in his free time, where he met Georges Braque, Pablo Picasso, Amedeo Modigliani, and others. Working for the government designing parts for aircraft during World War I, his jewelry became influenced by the utilitarian materials and shapes he saw in the factories. Després’ works were collected and worn by celebrities such as Josephine Baker, Andy Warhol, Paul Signac, and Andre Malraux. His works are in the collections of the Musée d’Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris and The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, among others. The artist died on November 13, 1980 in Avallon, France.

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Jean Després

1889 – 1980 • French

Jean Després

Biography

Jean Després was a French jewelry maker and designer best known for his intricate Art Deco jewelry made from semi-precious stones, machine parts, and enamel. Després’ aesthetics were largely inspired by his friendships with avent-garde artists, including the Cubist Georges Braque. Born on June 15, 1889 in Souvigny, France, his father owned a jewelry shop and sent off his son to apprentice with a goldsmith and jeweler when he was 16. Després studied design at nights while in Paris and mingled in the Montmarte scene in his free time, where he met Georges Braque, Pablo Picasso, Amedeo Modigliani, and others. Working for the government designing parts for aircraft during World War I, his jewelry became influenced by the utilitarian materials and shapes he saw in the factories. Després’ works were collected and worn by celebrities such as Josephine Baker, Andy Warhol, Paul Signac, and Andre Malraux. His works are in the collections of the Musée d’Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris and The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, among others. The artist died on November 13, 1980 in Avallon, France.

Track Jean Després

Get notifications when works come to auction, and access market analytics

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Digitizing your art collection allows you to access it anywhere around the world.
A computer, tablet, and phone showing the native ArtCollection.io applications.

Available on any device, mac, pc & more

ArtCollection.io is a cloud based solution that gives you access to your collection anywhere you have a secure internet connection. In addition to a beautiful web dashboard, we also provide users with a suite of mobile applications that allow for data synchronization and offline browsing. Feel confident in your ability to access your art collection anywhere around the world at anytime. Download ArtCollection.io today!

App Store button to download iOS application.
Google Play Button to download Android application.