Frick teams with Eittem for wooden wearable art
The Frick Collection in New York has teamed up with Eittem on a line of wooden accessories.
The partnership was reported on 1 October ArtNews. It centres on sculptural objects made from walnut Eittem.
The starting point is the museum’s historic botanical carvings. That phrase means carved leaves, flowers and vines found in the building’s decoration. The collaboration turns those details into wearable art, a term used here for accessories designed to be worn rather than placed on a shelf Town & Country.
Eittem describes the line as inspired by historic craftsmanship and reimagined through a contemporary lens. In plain terms, old making methods inform a new design. The material is walnut, a dark hardwood that can be shaped and polished.
Sculptural here means the pieces hold a set form. They keep their shape in the hand and on the shoulder. That is different from a soft tote that slumps.
That includes the Bird bag. It is precision-cut from solid wood and hand-finished Eittem. Precision-cut means cut to an exact pattern. Hand-finished means smoothed and completed by hand.
No soft leather here. The shape holds firm. Wood does not drape or fold, so the maker must plan curves and joints differently from cloth.
Every piece comes with a certificate of authenticity. That is the paperwork that records what the object is and who handled it. Eittem says each certificate is customised with the piece number, acquisition date, artisan signatures and materials Eittem. Provenance, the documented chain of ownership, often starts with details like these.
If you are new to this kind of collecting, that paperwork matters. It tells you which piece you hold and when it entered your hands. It names what it is made from and who finished it. Keep it with the object.
What makes this stand out is the meeting of two workshops. One is historic, carving ornament for rooms. The other is contemporary, cutting wood for the body.
For fans, this means looking closely. Check the grain. Check the edges. Check the paperwork that ties the object back to its makers.
Short version: museum carving, remade for the shoulder. The focus stays on making. Wood leads the story.
