Exactly one year after noted designer Betty Cooke died at age 100, hundreds of pieces of her jewelry and other creations are going on up for sale in an auction that will benefit students at the Maryland Institute College of Art.
“The Estate of Betty Cooke” is the name of the sale by Alex Cooper Auctioneers. Online bidding begins on Sept. 11 at 5 p.m. A live auction begins on Sept. 24 at noon.
Born in Baltimore, Cooke had an international reputation as a trailblazer of American modernist jewelry, known for clean lines and minimalist forms. Her designs can be found in the collections of the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Baltimore Museum of Art, the Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum and many others.
With her husband William Steinmetz, who died in 2016, Cooke was also a successful entrepreneur. She and Steinmetz founded The Store Ltd. at The Village of Cross Keys, which operated from 1965 until last year. Cooke died on August 13, 2024 — 100 years and 100 days from the day she was born, May 5, 1924.
Cooke graduated from MICA in 1946, and Steinmetz graduated from MICA in 1950. They were strong supporters of MICA, establishing the William O. Steinmetz ’50 and Betty Cooke ’46 Chair in Design in 2019. Cooke left much of her estate to MICA, including items that had been for sale at The Store Ltd.
According to the auctioneer, all proceeds from the September auction will go to the Betty Cooke ’46 and William Steinmetz ’50 Endowed Scholarship Fund at MICA. In addition to hundreds of pieces of her gold and silver jewelry, the sale includes handmade leather goods, paintings, furniture and more.
“It is an incredible honor for Alex Cooper to represent Betty’s legacy,” said Selden Morgan, Director of Jewelry at Alex Cooper Auctioneers, in a statement. “I have known Betty personally for decades and have always admired the profound impact she had on the jewelry industry here in Baltimore and beyond.”
More information is available on the Cooper website, www.alexcooper.com. The sale represents “a remarkable opportunity to acquire work from the lifetime collection of one of American’s most influential modernist jewelry designers,” the website states. “Join us in celebrating the life and vision of Betty Cooke and in supporting the next generation of artists in her name.”
