In an alchemy of art and adornment, the designer Ulla Johnson and Paris-based sculptor Julie Hamisky have conjured a collection where nature’s most fleeting gestures—an unfurling petal, the curve of a vine—are immortalized in glittering metal. The collaboration marks the latest art-inspired collection from the New York-based designer, who previously engaged in a two-year partnership with the estate of Abstract Expressionist painter Lee Krasner.
Johnson found herself captivated by Hamisky’s work after an introduction from Kasmin Gallery, which also works with Krasner. “I have long admired the work of Claude Lalanne, Julie’s grandmother,” Johnson reflects. “Kasmin invited me to Julie’s first New York show in the fall, and I was particularly drawn to her jewelry. It has been such a joy—a celebration of nature and beauty.” This sensibility translates into the new collection, where Hamisky’s sculptural flourishes complement Johnson’s fluid silhouettes.
For Hamisky, who creates sculptures, mirrors, chandaliers, and fine jewelry inspired by nature, the collaboration was an unexpected yet serendipitous challenge. She was already a fan of Johnson's designs. “I was invited to celebrate the sculptor Ana Pellicer in Tequila two years ago and needed a very special outfit," Hamisky recalls. "That’s when I discovered Ulla’s work, finding one of her goddess dresses."
The duo's creative chemistry became the foundation of an ambitious project: sculpting a series of 12 jewelry pieces using electroplating—a technique Hamisky learned from her grandmother, Claude Lalanne, the iconic French surrealist sculptor and designer also inspired by nature's delights. “This was an immersion into Ulla’s world,” Hamisky explains. “Creating a number of pieces in two months was intense but incredibly fulfilling.”
The result is a collection that distills the essence of transformation, where nature’s ephemerality is cast in permanence. Johnson’s designs, which are often characterized by the fluid drape of fabric, find new expression in Hamisky’s hands.
