Bracelet 'Boules des deux côtes d’un carré'

A pioneer in kinetic art

Pol Bury’s bracelet Boules des deux côtes d’un carré (Balls on two sides of a square) represents a major work in Belgian history of art as well as in art jewellery. Pol Bury was one of the most influential Belgian artists of the 20th century and is known above all for his pioneering work in kinetic art. Movement and time are central to his creations and exerted considerable influence on the international art scene. In his jewellery, the wearer of a piece becomes the motor of movement, whilst the steel used in his sculptures gives way to gold.

An iconic piece of jewellery

This bracelet is not only a magnificent example of Bury’s signature style, which brings together abstraction and geometry, but also a work that blurs the line between art and utilitarian objects. Moreover, this bracelet is often presented as being the epitome of Bury’s kinetic jewellery. Although several variants of the bracelet exist, this is the number one and belonged to Velma Bury, Pol Bury’s widow.

Belgian Avant-garde

The Boules des deux côtes d’un carré bracelet reflects developments in the Belgian art world of the 1950s and 1960s, as well as the Belgian avant-garde, a time when experimentation with new forms and materials were key. It is an iconic piece of jewellery by Bury the artist, as well as of 20th century Belgian Modernist art jewellery. At a time when Belgian art was breaking away from traditional conventions, Bury served to bridge the avant-garde and the mainstream. He was inspired by Constructivist and Abstract art movements, but he gave them his own interpretation.

A history of Belgian jewellery at the DIVA

Thanks to its acquisition by the Christian Bauwens Fund, managed by the King Baudouin Foundation, this bracelet has found a place in the permanent collection of the DIVA. The DIVA museum illustrates the art of jewellery in Belgium and this bracelet is a precious addition to the DIVA’s collection, which hitherto had only a small broach by Pol Bury.

The Christian Bauwens Fund

Managed by the King Baudouin Foundation, the mission of the Christian Bauwens Fund is to build and promote a collection of art and antiques that can be entrusted to our museum institutions so as to complete existing collections or to enable significant new pieces to be acquired for them.