Betony Vernon

Nothing reveals the functionality of the objects Betony Vernon designs. Yet, her works are at the service of the body, exacerbated, loved. The tassel attached to her iconic Sado-Chic bracelet caresses, the balls on her favorite Double Sphere ring massage. Betony Vernon is invested in the field of erotic and sensual doing. The development of her work is multidisciplinary, spanning sessions of practical teaching and curative sharing, the writing of her book “The Boudoir Bible” currently translated in 9 languages and the design of sublime objects — jewels, sculpture, furniture, objets d’art — as well as happenings. The most recent public exhibition is in Paris at the Museum of Modern Art running until February 2022. Through this wide fan of mediums, none of which abstract the human body, Betony Vernon signs an aesthetic of wellness, a sophisticated interaction to the other and above all, to oneself. — Michele Heuze

Daring, provocative and boundary-defying, Betony Vernon is an Americanborn designer, sexual anthropologist and author based in Paris. Her aesthetic is formed by her explorations in spirituality, sex, sensuality and the erotic body realm. She holds degrees in Art History and metal-smithing from Virginia Commonwealth University and a Masters degree in Industrial Design from Domus Academy in Milan, Italy.

Her design work has been included in a number of international exhibitions from the Victoria and Albert Museum in London to The Triennale Design Museum in Milan. She has also collaborated with several brands including Maison Valentino, Jean-Paul Gaultier, Missoni, Gianfranco Ferré, Swarowski, Pampaloni, Karl Lagerfeld, Alexander Wang and Fornasetti. In 2002 her Paradise Found Fine Erotic Jewelry collection, composed today of over 400 jewels and jewel tools, became the interface for what she describes as her mission, to empower women and men to enjoy and share greater pleasure.

Vernon’s designs are crafted in Italy using natural, durable materials such as gold, silver, marble leather and wood. The Origin Chair, a functional sculpture carved in statuary marble from Monte Altissima was unveiled in December 2012 at The Triennale Museum of Design and has since traveled to MUDAC, Museum of Design and Contemporary Art, Lausanne. In November 2015 the work was also exhibited in Vernon’s carte blanche for the Gewerbemuseum, Winterthur. She also participated to the group exhibition Federn in the same museum in-between 2019 and 2020.

In 2017, Vernon unveiled the Boudoir Box for the first time to the general public as part of the Medusa exhibition at the City of Paris Museum of Modern Art. The transportable work was created in 1999 to present her erotic jewelry to collectors around the world.

Vernon’s ultimate goal both as a sculptor and a designer is to create durable designs that defy the hands of time and intimately empower her collectors.