alex & lee in cult 70s fashion and folk art book 'native funk & flash' (1974)When Geoffrey Beene and Bazaar's Gwen Mazer are stunned by the beauty, and by the craftsmanship, you can be sure that you are in for something extraordinary. That can be said for the jewelry from the studio of Alex & Lee.
Something that is a la fois, over the top and yet remains absolutely stunning, fantastic, and bold, something that provokes an emotion the minute you lay your eyes upon it. It is so out there and yet it isn't an ounce of gaudy. Their work has transgressed the boundaries of jewelry making and entered the realm of theatricality and art.
Alex Mate' and Lee Brooks met in 1970 and became partners in life and work which led to a 23 year long collaboration, interrupted tragically in 1992 by Alex's death. The intimacy of the relationship was perhaps the single most important element which allowed them such incredible fantasy and freedom apparent in the work. "Within the meditation of Love and Peace lies our inspiration for creation. We view our jewelry as devotional talismans to adorn the temple of the body."
The most creative minds of our era were touched by the jewelry of Alex & Lee, which have ravaged the pages of Vogue, Bazaar, and W, and found their ways to the hearts as well as the private collections of the likes of Cher, Erte', Lilly Dache', Oscar de la renta, Connie Mellon, Ann Getty, and Nancy Pelosi. The Smiling Shiva Lingum piece even adorned Gala Dali's neck as the bride of the master of Surrealism, Salvador Dali. He himself was one of the biggest fans of the jewelry - 9 pieces remain on permanent display at Museo Teatro Dali in Figueres. And Dali's own Alex & Lee can be found above his bed in Cadaques, Spain.
Thankfully, Lee was able to recover and continue creating after Alex's loss, and has been collaborating with his partner Greg Franke for the past decade. Each piece is entirely handmade by Lee and Greg in their studio and home at Sea Ranch, on the Sonoma Coast of California. The trademark of Alex & Lee is cord knotting in the tradition of passementerie. Stone, mineral, and found objects free of metallic boundaries suggest entirely organic and natural origins. Key elements in these creations are the play of color, texture, and transparency; layer seamlessly built upon layer in a dialogue of mineral and fiber. Somehow, in relationship to one another, the various parts lose their individual identity and are transformed into some mysterious object from the ancient future.
www.alexandlee.comSomething that is a la fois, over the top and yet remains absolutely stunning, fantastic, and bold, something that provokes an emotion the minute you lay your eyes upon it. It is so out there and yet it isn't an ounce of gaudy. Their work has transgressed the boundaries of jewelry making and entered the realm of theatricality and art.
Alex Mate' and Lee Brooks met in 1970 and became partners in life and work which led to a 23 year long collaboration, interrupted tragically in 1992 by Alex's death. The intimacy of the relationship was perhaps the single most important element which allowed them such incredible fantasy and freedom apparent in the work. "Within the meditation of Love and Peace lies our inspiration for creation. We view our jewelry as devotional talismans to adorn the temple of the body."
The most creative minds of our era were touched by the jewelry of Alex & Lee, which have ravaged the pages of Vogue, Bazaar, and W, and found their ways to the hearts as well as the private collections of the likes of Cher, Erte', Lilly Dache', Oscar de la renta, Connie Mellon, Ann Getty, and Nancy Pelosi. The Smiling Shiva Lingum piece even adorned Gala Dali's neck as the bride of the master of Surrealism, Salvador Dali. He himself was one of the biggest fans of the jewelry - 9 pieces remain on permanent display at Museo Teatro Dali in Figueres. And Dali's own Alex & Lee can be found above his bed in Cadaques, Spain.
Thankfully, Lee was able to recover and continue creating after Alex's loss, and has been collaborating with his partner Greg Franke for the past decade. Each piece is entirely handmade by Lee and Greg in their studio and home at Sea Ranch, on the Sonoma Coast of California. The trademark of Alex & Lee is cord knotting in the tradition of passementerie. Stone, mineral, and found objects free of metallic boundaries suggest entirely organic and natural origins. Key elements in these creations are the play of color, texture, and transparency; layer seamlessly built upon layer in a dialogue of mineral and fiber. Somehow, in relationship to one another, the various parts lose their individual identity and are transformed into some mysterious object from the ancient future.
images from: here
