MsoNoSpacing">Vivian Cavalieri

Having grown up in Manhattan with an American-born mother and a Venetian father, and spending many childhood summers in Venice, profoundly influenced Vivian’s sense of color and style. But since she did not draw or paint well, she always assumed she lacked artistic talent. That’s why, after majoring in art history at Harvard, she veered left and enrolled in the NYU School of Law. Vivian spent the next 20 years representing museums and other nonprofits through law firms in New York City and Washington, DC.

After leaving the law, Vivian began designing large multi-strand necklaces reminiscent of the once-prevalent Venetian torsades. Though torsades contain many twisted strands of identical, tiny glass beads, she wanted to make the eye dance using diverse components. She wove together amber, abalone, pearls, semiprecious stones, shell, and (in memory of her father) at least one Murano glass bead. Shejuxtaposed colors, textures, and forms to create a vibrant balance, unconsciously utilizing an Italianate palette and mirroring the ebullient Venetian style.

A few years ago, while spending more time on her oyster farm overlooking Virginia’s Chincoteague Bay, Vivian started creating conceptual scenes following the same design principle of achieving energetic balance by juxtaposing color, form, and texture. Each scene is inspired by one of her necklaces. But unlike her necklaces which were intended simply to delight, the scenes are multi-layered with a serious purpose behind even the most whimsical designs.

Vivian Cavalieri - 'Mental Gymnastics'

Vivian Cavalieri - 'Mental Gymnastics'