The Art and Times of Daniel Jocz

Known as a “trickster” and an “outsider,” Daniel Jocz (*1943) has frequently reinvented his aesthetic, inverting traditional rules. Jocz said, “I tend to stuff big ideas into small packages, and then the jewelry almost seems as if it’s bursting out.” Jocz was part of the fascinating Boston jewelry scene, and his story is told from his early years at Philadelphia College of Art, where an encounter with John Coltrane set him on an idiosyncratic artistic path, to his years exploring unusual ideas and materials. His work defies neat categorization, but there are ideas that surface repeatedly, drawing seemingly disparate pieces together. All his work has an autobiographical aspect, with clever and subtle visual jokes that are entirely Jocz. He has created outrageous, oversized flocked Candy Wear pieces and necklaces composed of enameled cherries and smoked cigarettes. His oversized aluminum bracelets and collars explode the structural limitations of traditional materials. The American Requiem 3047.9.11.2001 series, created in memory of the 9/11 attack on the Twin Towers, is a meditation on life and loss. His Sketchbook brooches explore cutting, piercing, and painting metal to capture experiences and memories on an intimate scale, while his recent wall panels bring a large scale to the same graphic quality. Jocz’s work is represented in major museum collections, including The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston; and the Smithsonian Museum of American Art, Washington, D.C.

The publication presents Jocz’s oeuvre in a sumptuous, illustrated section as well as in essays by acknowledged experts. Jeannine Falino takes a detailed look at the phases in Jocz’s long artistic career—from his early sculptures, through Marlene Dietrich-inspired enamel cigarette necklaces to his most recent wall reliefs. Wendy Steiner observes Jocz’s work within the charged cultural realm of fashion and music. Finally, Patricia Harris and David Lyon examine his position in the late twentieth-century Boston avant-garde jewelry scene. A book that is as exciting as it is wide-ranging on the work of an exceptional artist.