The Wolfsonian-FIU Art Museum in Miami, Florida recently contacted us, requesting additional information on seven Montici mosaics they’re using in an upcoming 2024 exhibition of jewelry.
A photo sent to us of one of the seven artworks made us smile.
We’ve given it the MSID “Surreal Face #2 (FIU)”
It won’t be the first time this particular Richard Blow Mid Century Modern artwork has brightened a jewelry exhibit.
In 2019, we came across this striking photo on Webstagram.
Notice any similarities to the Wolfsonian-FIU work?
The Webstagram and the Wolfsonian-FIU mosaics are the same artwork. (the slight color and contrast shifts are most likely an artifact of different lighting/jpeg copying). Everything matches.
In a delightful bit of Jungian synchronicity, the Wolfsonian’s bright idea of using this Montici mosaic as part of a jewelry exhibit was accomplished years before by an unknown someone. The Montici mosaic beneath the gemstones and diamond rings is a classic Blow surreal masterpiece. The person art directing the mystery photo shoot obviously understood the wonderful artistic synergy sparked by pairing the two. The Instagram post included no additional information. We have no idea when, where or by whom the artwork ended up bejeweled, nor does the Wolfsonian evidently.
If there is a surreal face #2 in our database, is there a surreal face #1?
Yes, there is.
MSID “Surreal Face #1 JFS” is the first surreal face variant logged into our Montici Society database. Richard Blow personally gifted it to our Society president on a visit to our house in Connecticut near the end of his art career. It’s also unique – the only signed and dated surreal face variant in our database (“Richard A. Blow Montici ‘70”). The composition is the same, but the stone selections and color palette are different, most notably the deep green onyx agate (?) face and muted gray/white background.
The Society owns a photograph of Richard Blow and his short-sleeved Italian maestro, Bruno Lastrucci, together in his Montici studio circa 1970.
If you look closely, the young Lastrucci is standing over a just completed surreal face mosaic. To his right on the table is what looks like the drawing used for the mosaic.
Here’s a close up of the face mosaic, rotated to view it from our perspective. Many of the same compositional elements are there: triangles, teardrop, angular face, pointed nose, half circle. But it also features what looks like a large eye in the face, something not found in the two variants we currently have.
The seven Wilsonian-FIU Montici mosaics included five which were already logged in our database, plus two we had never seen before. Besides the new “Surreal Face #2 (FIU),” the collection included a never-before-seen, ninth variation of Blow’s very popular “Nine Fruits” composition.
When the Wolfsonian-FIU jewelry exhibit date is finally announced, we’ll let you know. If you’re in the Miami area, you might want to stop by and view the Montici mosaics.
The Museum is located in the Art Deco district of Miami Beach.
Michael Schmicker