Monique Péan’s Marfa Travel Diary

Having visited all seven continents, Monique Péan is likely to be among the most peripatetic jewelry designers. Still, with an insatiable desire for traveling—and the creative inspiration that comes with it—much remains to be discovered for the New Yorker. A recent trip with the Dia Art Foundation Council took her to Marfa, Texas. There, she dived into the life and work of artist Donald Judd, exploring his home and workspace, studio, sculptures, and paintings. “I was most impressed by the ambition and scale of Judd’s work in Marfa,” says Péan. “Not only the art that he produced, but also the buildings that he acquired and renovated, the art and furniture that he collected, and the future plans that he had for the area. The sheer totality of the project—of turning a small town into a must see art destination—is so impressive.”

For Péan, with prior collections from her namesake label informed by Utah's land art, Japan’s natural landscape, and Norwegian architecture, it’s likely Judd’s work and the West Texas surroundings will play out in her future designs. As for how, “you’ll have to wait for my next collection to see,” she says. “But I have always been inspired by art, architecture, and clean modern lines, so Marfa was like a trip to Mecca for lovers of minimalism—although that was not a term that Judd liked used to describe his work.” Here, a selection of the designer’s personal photos from her travels.