Bizarre Beauty

Over the course of six decades, the American artist William Harper (b. 1944) has conjured a body of work unique in the realm of jewelry. Masterfully crafted in enamel and gold, his pieces explore multiple realms-from ancient mythology to personal iconography-and draw on influences such as African sculpture, medieval art, and modernist dance. Harper has nonetheless created an oeuvre that is instantly recognizable, branching into formats including paintings, ornamented casks, artist's books,and more.Bizarre Beauty, the definitive study of Harper and his work, includes a full biography by co-editor Glenn Adamson, as well asthematic essays and primary texts. A visual feast, the book provides an intimate look at this brilliantly imaginative artist.

Glenn Adamson is a curator and writer who works at the intersection of craft, design history, and contemporary art. He has previously been director of the Museum of Arts and Design, New York; head of research at the V&A, London; and curator at the Chipstone Foundation in Milwaukee. Adamson’s publications include Thinking through Craft; The Craft Reader; Postmodernism: Style and Subversion (co-edited with Jane Pavitt); The Invention of Craft; Art in the Making (co-authored with Julia Bryan-Wilson); Fewer Better Things: The Hidden Wisdom of Objects; and Craft: An American History. He earned his BA in History of Art at Cornell University in 1994 and his PhD in Art History at Yale University in 2001. Martha J. Fleischman is a specialist in American art and a collector. She has been the owner of Kennedy Galleries and publisher of The American Art Journal. With texts by Glenn Adamson, Arthur C. Danto, Mary E. Davis, Toni Greenbaum, Cynthia Hahn, John Perreault, and William Harper, a conversation with Ugochukwu-Smooth Nzewi, and forewords by Martha J. Fleischman and Abraham Thomas.

6 PREFACE Martha J. Fleischman 9 FOREWORD Abraham omas 11 SHAPE SHIFTER: THE LIVES OF WILLIAM HARPER Glenn Adamson 93 SAINTS, MARTYRS, AND SAVAGES William Harper 99 BETWEEN THE BED AND THE BROOCH Arthur C. Danto 127 NEWS FROM ATLANTIS: WILLIAM HARPER’S EXPANDED OEUVRE John Perreault 133 ON JASPER JOHNS William Harper 159 A PROFOUND AFFINITY: WILLIAM HARPER AND MEDIEVAL ART Cynthia Hahn 179 AN ORGY OF TONES: WILLIAM HARPER & THE BALLETS RUSSES Mary E. Davis 201 THE SPIRIT THAT MOVES A Conversation with Ugochukwu-Smooth Nzewi 211 LORD LOVE A DUCK: WILLIAM HARPER’S QUARANTINE SERIES Toni Greenbaum 228 CHRONOLOGY 1944–2023 233 EXHIBITION HISTORY 238 BIBLIOGRAPHY 243 MUSEUM COLLECTIONS 244 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS AND CREDITS 246 AUTHOR BIOGRAPHIES