A Bronze-Plated Pendant from Arteriors Conjures the Powerful Sculptures of Wangechi Mutu

Discover how life imitates art in unexpected moments of visual synchronicity

Sculpture with intricate flowing design and mask-like face next to an ornate hanging lamp with wavy pattern.
Left: For The NewOnes, Will Free Us by Wangechi Mutu (2019). Right: The Micah pendant by ARTERIORS. Photo: OSEPH COSCIA JR., COURTESY OF THE ARTIST AND GLADSTONE GALLERY, NEW YORK AND BRUSSELS. COURTESY OF ARTERIORS

For The NewOnes, Will Free Us (2019), a major commission for the façade of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Wangechi Mutu conceived four large bronze sculptures that stood sentry in the institution’s niches for more than a year as a powerful meditation on history, gender, and mythology.

A multidimensional texture of gracefully draping folds animates the Micah pendant by Arteriors, which is rendered in antiqued, bronze-plated iron.

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A version of this article first appeared in print in our 2025 Winter under the headline “Life Imitates Art.” Subscribe to the magazine.