Exhibitions Archive - by use
Constituents
Beads
Perlen aus Glas. Farbige Geschichten
Glass beads. Colourful stories
This exhibition invites visitors into a treasure chamber of glass beads from around the world. It tells the surprising stories of the use and significance of glass beads in different cultures: tales of Viking beads which travelled from Tashkent in the Caucasus, to the Viking Aros, Aarhus today, of elegant Venetian beads from the 19th Century, of beads of the rain forest of Borneo, to beads that adorn the Greenland national costume and were brought there by European fishermen. The exhibition represents substantial parts of the collection of the Danish curator Torben Sode. He is an expert in the field of historical beads and has published several studies on this topic. His collection includes objects from antiquity to the present day and has already received several international awards. A catalogue of the exhibition is available from the museum
4/11/2011 – 25/03/2012
LWL-Industriemuseum. Westfälisches Landesmuseum für Industriekultur, Petershagen-Ovenstädt, Germany
The Eloquent Silver Curve: The Jewelry of Flora Book
Flora Book has combined her passion for elegant jewelry with her love of silver and life-long study of textiles. Unlike many other Northwest jewelry artists who favor narrative content and use found objects, Book has focused almost exclusively on the expressive possibilities offered by meticulous strands of slender silver beads.
Throughout her career, she has focused on constructing refined compositions that evoke the traditional functions of jewelry but also drape and flow with the wearer’s movements. Book describes her work as an effort to transform the hard metal beads into something soft and flexible, like a piece of fabric. Through her techniques, Book realized her vision to create jewelry that both shimmers like water and drapes like fabric—most eloquently seen in a work such as Cascade, on view in this gallery.
For most of the last decade, Book’s work has evolved into other textile processes such as knitting and machine stitching. These works continue her exploration of the contrast between soft and hard while embracing an aesthetic that is more relaxed and expressive. Her use of reclaimed Mylar from potato chip bags or knitted silver chain allows the forms to be less rigid than her earlier works. Yet, even with these less structured forms, Book cultivates her signature elegant style through the eloquent silver curve.
30/07/2011 to 5/02/2012
Tacoma Art Museum, Tacoma, WA 98402, USA
Ercole Moretti. Un secolo di perle veneziane
Ercole Moretti. A century of Venetian beads
A century of Venetian beads and precious handmade glass works by one of the most famous and ancient Murano Glass factories, the Ercoli Moretti & Bros, celebrating this year the one hundredth anniversary of activity. Among the works on display are the 'Rosetta' bead, famous all over the world, the Mosaic bead, the Millefiori and the well known Murrina, on display together with many other glass works, on the first floor of the Murano Glass Museum.
9/10/2011 – 6/01/2012
Museo del vetro di Murano, Venice, Italy
Perles de liberté - Bijoux afro-brésiliens
Pearls of freedom - Afro-Brazilian jewellery
Among the twenty exhibitions of Europalia Brazil that trace the fascinating history of Brazilian art, Grand Hornu Images offers a unique perspective on Afro-Brazilian jewels, both historic and contemporary. Created and worn by slaves as a sign of recognition and empowerment, or inspired by the gods of the home, Afro-Brazilian jewellery combines symbolic and emotional symbolism with a strong and flamboyant aesthetic. All the jewellery shown is from public and private collections.
23/10/2011 - 26/02/2012
Grand-Hornu Images, B-7301 Hornu, Belgiun
Glass Beads of Ghana
Southern Ghana is home to sub-Saharan Africa's most dynamic and enduring glass bead-making tradition. For over 400 years, Ghanaian bead artists have been producing powder-glass beads from recycled glass to meet local demands of fashion and customary practice. Glass Beads of Ghana, the first exhibition to look closely at this distinctive art form, is drawn largely from The Newark Museum's own extensive collection, one of the few such collections in the world.
Until 21/03/2010
Newark Museum, Newark, NJ, USA
The power of masks and royal symbols - Beadwork jewellery from Cameroon.
For centuries, glass beads and cowries served as common means of payment in Africa. Embodying the owner's wealth, influence and international connections, objects embroidered with beads or precious glass bead jewellery were, however, a luxury reserved for only the high dignitaries. The exhibition displays objects from the Klaus Paysan collection, collected over 45 years.
13/11/09 – 07/02/10
Schmuckmuseum Pforzheim, Germany
Engraved gems
Precious and Beautiful. Cameos and intaglios of the Medici
Gem collecting was one of the most fascinating aspects of the rediscovery of antiquity which characterised the Renaissance. As of the first half of the XV century, cameos and intaglios were much sought after by popes, princes and cardinals, on several occasions indeed giving rise to harsh disputes between admirers who were even ready to spend large sums to secure themselves the desired piece. Presenting a select number of pieces of exceptional quality from the most important Italian and foreign museums, the exhibition will illustrate the complex history of this treasure, starting from its formation by Cosimo, Piero and, especially, Lorenzo de’ Medici who reserved a special place to cameos and intaglios in his art collections.
25/03/2010 – 27/06/2010
Museo degli Argenti, Palazzo Pitti, Florence, Italy
Antique gems and pastes
A remarkable collection of gems and glass pastes which numbers about 2300 specimens that reproduce a variety of subjects. Most of these jewels belonged to Jacopo Verità, a noble of Verona, from whom the City bought the archaeological collection in 1842. The exhibition celebrates the publication of the first volume of the catalogue that illustrates, through a careful study, more than a thousand pieces (about half of the gem collection of the Art Museum).
20/01/2010 – 30/05/2010
Museo Archeologico al Teatro Romano, Verona, Italy
The biggest cameos in the world
For more than a year, Andreas and Dieter Roth, experienced and reputable engravers with decades of experience, have worked on two cameos, the "Birth of Venus" and "Triumph of Galatea". From a 95-pound block the 6-pound plate was cut with a diameter of 50 centimeters. With 3 pounds and a size of 49 to 36 centimeters the "Venus" is the largest cameo in the world.
23/10/2009 - 31/03/2010
Museum Idar-Oberstein, Germany
Carvers and Collectors: The Lasting Allure of Ancient Gems
Carved gemstones have captivated connoiseurs of every age, from antiquity to the modern period. The exhibition Carvers and Collectors: The Lasting Allure of Ancient Gems brings together remarkable intaglios and cameos carved by ancient master engravers along with some of the outstanding works by modern carvers that they have inspired. The gems will be displayed together with material from later periods that evinces their importance through the ages--illuminated manuscripts, rare engravings from early catalogues, cabinets designed to house collections of gems, and other works of art in diverse media to illustrate the lasting allure of these masterpieces in miniature.
19/03/2009 - 7/09/2009
The Getty Villa, Malibu, Los Angeles CA, USA
The Gonzaga cameos. Precious works at the court at Mantua.
Pieces from the famous collection of the Gonzagas, originating in the 15th century and including many pieces purchased from the sale of Charles I's collection.
12/10/2008 – 11/01/2009
Museo Diocesano Francesco Gonzaga, Mantua, Italy
Function
Accessories
From hair pin to shoe buckle. Gold and silver accessories
The focus of this exhibition is on silver and gold costume accessories, made in Europe from the 14th to the 20th century. Special attention is paid to the Southern Netherlands and the non-European influence on European fashion. There is a high range of accessories with a true function that will be on display: hairpins, hair combs en hatpins, jewels combined with a toothpick and earspoon or with a perfume bottle, all kinds of pairs of glasses and lorgnettes, accessories with closing functions like ring brooches, cape clasp and buttons, girdles, belt buckles, tie pins and sleeve links, accessories hold in the hand like rosaries with pomander, posy holders, fans, walking sticks and umbrellas, accessories put on the waist like chatelaines with watch, fork and knife in a case, pomanders, needle cases, skirt holder etc., purses and their contents, knee and shoe buckles.
22/03/2011 - 12/06/2011
Zilvermuseum Sterckshof, Antwerp, Netherlands
Buttons, Artistic, historical and cultural phenomena
The historical centerpiece to the exhibition will be more than 1,500 precious pieces from the Loic Allio Collection, considered to be one of the finest in the world. The collection holds many unique surprises, from a rare 2,500 year old Chinese button to buttons worn by the nobility at Versailles and in the gardens of the Palais-Royal, as well as buttons worn by the revolutionaries who stormed the Bastille prison. It will also introduce the public to exciting new works by a number of contemporary artists who use buttons as their medium, including: Clare Graham, Lisa Kokin, Lauren Levy, Amalia Amaki and Penelope Leaver Green
4/06/2009 – 14/08/2010
Mona Bismarck Foundation, Paris, France
Sequins - accessories - compacts. Fashion drawings and objects of the Twenties
The fashion of the 1920s is the focus of this special exhibition of the Costume Lipperheide library. The focus of the exhibition is on the one hand fashion drawings from Berlin, Paris and Vienna from the unique holdings of the Collection Fashion Image - Costume Lipperheide library. The second focus is the powder boxes and cosmetic accessories of a Berlin private collector presented for the first time. The approximately 200 exhibits in this collection illustrate the high quality, design and form of this rare variety of beauty items.
07/05/09 – 09/08/09
Kunstbibliothek, Berlin, Germany
Galante begleiter: vom metalltäschlein bis zur garnkugel
accessories from the 19th century to the 1920s
21/6/08 – 24/8/08
Schmuckmuseum, Pforzheim, Germany
Amulets
Felicity Powell - Charmed Life: The solace of objects
This exhibition is the result of the artist Felicity Powell’s engagement with a collection of 1400 amulets assembled by the Edwardian amateur folklorist Edward Lovett. One of the few people to have had access to this curious collection of ‘charms’, once carried in the pockets of Londoners for luck or protection, Powell was intrigued by the silent witness they bore to countless personal narratives. Amulets have appeared throughout history and across many cultures in an infinite variety of forms. Each has been invested with the hope or belief that it could somehow mediate on behalf of its owner. Reflecting on the potency – sometimes alluring, sometimes repellent – of these much-touched objects, Powell found parallels with her own artistic practice.
6/10/2011 – 26/02/2012
Wellcome Collection, London NW1 2BE, UK
Talisman
Talismans are found in many cultures throughout the world. In this exhibition twelve contemporary New Zealand jewellery artists have made new work responding to the enduring power of the talisman. The inclusion of twelve rare and important historic talismans from Canterbury Museum's Oceanic collection highlights an exchange across times and cultures, and reinforces not only the connections between jewellery and the body, science, magic and nature, but also the idea that jewellery accrues meaning through use.
5/12/2009 - 14/02/2010
Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetu, Christchurch, New Zealand
Past and Present. Animal-themed amulets from Asia and Africa
An exhibition of jewellery, ornaments, amulets and talismans and everyday utensils from Africa and Asia on the theme of the symbolic animal.
15/05/09 – 15/11/09
Musée des Beaux-Arts Salies, Bagnères-de-Bigorre, France
Jewels and ritual. Treasures from the Perusini collection.
27/6/2008 – 30/11/2008
Il Museo Etnografico del Friuli, Friuli, Italy
Brooches
Brooching the Subject: One-of-a-Kind
This exhibition will include one-of-a-kind, wearable brooches from 22 artists. Each artist has a Southern connection, based on where they choose to live, work or teach. "Studio art jewelry is different from fine jewelry because the materials involved may include found objects, plastics, toys, wool, enamel, glass, semiprecious stones, paper,” said Katz, a former jewelry designer, and curator of the Center for Southern Craft and Design at the Ogden Museum of Southern Art. “It’s not prized for the weight of the stones or the value of the metals. It’s prized for the sculptural or narrative quality, or just its beauty."
22/04/2010 - 15/07/2010
The Ogden Museum of Southern Art’s Center for Southern Craft and Design, New Orleans, LA, USA
Crosses
In the Shade of the Cross. Western-European Crosses and Crucifixes of the 8th - 19th Centuries. From a private collection, Milan
23/09/2011 – 29/01/2012
State Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg, Russia
Necklaces
Unspoken Messages: The Art of the Necklace
There are many messages contained in jewelry beyond the simple desire for self-ornamentation. One of the most common is to communicate wealth and social position. A necklace can do this through precious materials, elaborate design, or refined elegance. Concepts of cosmopolitanism and worldview, as well as cultural and religious beliefs, are often encoded into jewelry. This exhibition is designed to inspire a different approach to thinking about necklaces. It also allows the public an opportunity to experience, in a new context, objects from the MIA's permanent collection. Necklaces for this exhibition are chosen from many world cultures and made of various materials, including ivory, hair, gold, jade, shell, coral, glass, metal and marble.
6/06/2009 - 13/09/2009
Minneapolis Institute of Arts, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
250 years of the goldsmiths 'Bury' - handmade chains from a Hanau chain maker
In 1759, an Alsace-trained goldsmith, Jean Jacques Bury, founded a jeweller's business in Hanau. The business is still in the hands of the Bury family today. This exhibition, which was designed by the bureau Katz Emperor of Darmstadt, will show selected exhibits of differently designed chains, samples and documents, including numerous jewellery designs which give an impressive insight into the company's history and its long tradition in Hanau.
06/09/2009 – 15/11/2009
Deutsches Goldschmiedehaus, Hanau, Germany
Orders and decorations
Imperial orders. Diplomatic splendours of the Second Empire
All the decorations received by Napoleon III, the Prince Imperial and Empress Eugenie, miraculously saved from the burning of the Tuileries in 1871, are presented to the public for the first time in their entirety. Each piece tells a story, a friendship, a victory, an economic or political accord. The whole collection offers a unique journey into the world of the 19th century.
19/01/2011 – 29/05/2011
Musée national de la Légion d’honneur et des ordres de chevalerie, Paris, France
For honour and glory: jewellery from the Napoleonic era
2010 will see the 200th anniversary of Napoleon's visit to Antwerp with his second wife Marie-Louise. The Diamond Museum has taken advantage of this opportunity to mount an exhibition celebrating the splendour and ostentation of the jewellery and military decorations of the Napoleonic era.
30/09/2010 – 31/12/2010
Diamantmuseum Provincie Antwerpen, Antwerp, Belgium
Rings
Johanna Dahm. Rings
The Swiss-born Johanna Dahm active since the 1970s, has continually pursued new ways of defining what jewellery can be. Her work is characterized by an investigative and open approach, which has led her everywhere from quests for the integration of fabric and brooch, exploring light reflections on the body, to researching exotic jewellery techniques. Her work has explored many key practical and conceptual themes in jewellery. Dahm’s work is of the highest standard, and her intellectual understanding of both technique and creative process is one which she is able to articulate eloquently.
9/07/2011 - 16/10/2011
Design museum Gent, Ghent, Belgium
Sammlung Abeler - Geschichte und Symbolik des Ringes aus vier Jahrtausenden
The Abeler Collection - The History and Symbolism of Rings over Four Millenia
The ring goes back to prehistoric times and is found in all cultures. With its various tasks and functions, as a mark of disctintion, a signet, a watch, bishop's ring, friendship ring, commemorative ring, jewellery ring or wedding ring, the ring has always had a special meaning. This exhibition displays 275 rings from the extensive Abeler Collection, which was originally started by the goldsmith and jewellery designer Karl Brauburger (of Hanau / Wuppertal) and then continued over many decades, by Jürgen and Gudrun Abeler in Wuppertal.
9/06/2011 – 21/09/2011
Deutsches Goldschmiedehaus, Hanau, Germany
Bedazzled : 5,000 Years of Jewelry
This exhibition will provide examples, both in depth and range, of stunning jewelry from 3000 B.C.E. through the early 20th century. It will feature some of the Walters Art Museum’s greatest masterpieces as well as many hidden treasures on view for the first time. This selection of more than 150 pieces will not only present the evolution of techniques and materials, but also demonstrate the importance of jewelry as an expression of creativity and often wealth and position. In addition, a special exhibition section will be devoted to rings, the only type of jewelry worn continuously through the ages. Assembled primarily by one of the Walters Art Museum’s founders, Henry Walters, during the first three decades of the last century, this renowned collection contains superb examples of expert craftsmanship.
19/10/2008 - 4/01/2009
The Walters Art Museum, Baltimore, MD, USA
28/03/2010 - 25/07/2010
El Paso Museum of Art (EPMA), El Paso, Texas, USA
Roman to Renaissance: A private collection of rings
An exhibition devoted to a private collection of thirty-five rings dating from 300 to 1600 AD, from the Paris gallery LES ENLUMINURES. The collection comprises fine examples of rings from the Merovingian, Byzantine, Medieval and Renaissance periods including marriage rings, seal rings, stirrup rings, tart mould rings, iconographic rings, merchant rings and gemstone rings.
12/5/2009 – 22/5/2009
Wartski, London, UK
Rings of Dieter Roth. Wearable art of a universal artist
The renowned Swiss painter, graphic artist, sculptor, object artist, typographer and poet Dieter Roth (1930 - 1998) developed since 1959 over a period of twenty years for the goldsmith Hans Langenbacher a series of finger rings. On display are all (approximately 50) rings and ring attachments, plus prints, sketches, designs, drawings and correspondence between Roth and Langenbacher.
29/10/2009 - 10/01/2010
Museum für Angewandte Kunst, Cologne, Germany
Once upon a time, there was a ring... Jewels by Gabi Dziuba presented by Christian Philipp Müller
Gabi Dziuba, a German artist who lives and works in Munich, here presents a selection of original works in gold, silver and precious stones, half of which created in collaboration with some of the most important artists on the contemporary German art scene including Martin Kippenberger, Heimo Zobernig, Hans-Jörg Mayer and Günther Förg. While it is not possible to pin down an artist like Dziuba to a specific current or movement, it may be stated that she has often created jewels that pre-empt styles and fashions that have gone on to form part of both the street style and the haute couture of jewellery making. The jewels on show in their own glass cases interact with the installation created by the artist Christian Philipp Müller, who also created the graphics of the exhibition catalogue.
1/02/2009 – 26/04/2009
Galleria Civica, Modena, Italy
RememberRing
Herinner-ring /Remember-Ring is a collaboration of 90 jewellery designers from around the world who have each made a hand-crafted ring based on the theme of ‘remembering’. Each ring depicts a personal memory for the individual artist whose recollection is given shape within the limited dimensions of a ring. Herinner-ring /Remember-Ring is on loan from Galerie Beeld and Aambeeld in Holland and the National Craft Gallery is the first location to receive the exhibition outside the Netherlands before it tours internationally. The 90 participating artists in Herinner-ring /Remember-Ring include Irish jewellery designers Melissa Curry, Angela O’Kelly, Sonja Landweer, Rachel McKnight and Céline Traynor.
14/02/09 – 26/04/09
Crafts Council of Ireland, Kilkenny, Ireland
Tiaras
Tiaras: queen of jewellery, jewellery of queens
The exhibition will include pieces from the Royal collection, as well as modern pieces from Georg Jensen, Ole Lynggaard of Copenhagen and Bodil Binner.
13/03/09 – 11/08/09
The Amalienborg Museum, Copenhagen, Denmark
Watches
L'horlogerie à Genève. Magie des mêtiers, trésors d'or et d'émail
The collections of clocks and watches, enamel work, jewellery and miniatures of the Museum of Art and History form a body of 18'000 items, of which some 1'500 pieces are highlighted in this exhibition.
15/12/2011 – 29/04/2012
Musée Rath, Genève, Switzerland
Treasures of Vacheron Constantin - A legacy of watchmaking since 1755
This exhibition explores the heritage of Vacheron Constantin that spans more than 250 years and the brand’s cutting-edge technology, artistry as well as craftsmanship through a display of timepieces. These timepieces will express equilibrium of balance between technical prowess and aesthetic perfection, elaborate watch-making tools and specially produced audio-visual presentations. It is hoped that the watches displayed would be instructive in telling their part of the fascinating story of highly skilled artisans and their creations in the history of timekeeping.
24/06/11 - 26/08/11
National Museum of Singapore, Singapore
Montres et Merveilles; Watches and Wonders
A treasure trove of the heritage of Besançon, this exhibition presents 200 examples of mechanical watches that trace over time the evolution of this object from the sixteenth century to the early twentieth century. "This is to put the watch in its technical and aesthetic context" says Thomas Charenton, curator of the exhibition.
9/12/2010 – 29/05/2011
Musée du Temps, Besançon, France
The development of Beyer and the watch industry
Times have changed radically since the Beyer dynasty was founded. And with it, the instruments used to measure it. The Watch and Clock Museum Beyer is holding a varied exhibition presenting a foray though 250 years of watch-making history.
15/04/2010 - 15/10/2010
Clock and Watch Museum Beyer, Zurich, Switzerland
Other
Perfume - Bottling Seduction
Exquisite flacons, sophisticated packaging, suggestive advertising spots – perfume, the scent of seduction, is presented using all these means. Consequently it is not just the perfumes themselves that are masters in manipulating our senses but also their various forms of packaging. Whether they are flowery and fruity, powdery or sweet, these scents beguile our senses. Every fragrance creates its own atmosphere that requires an appropriately designed container. Special containers for fragrant essences were already made in pre-Christian times. Many of today’s perfumes bear the name of a Parisian haute couture house and their packaging must therefore reflect the fashion style of the particular brand. This exhibition shows perfume bottles along with their respective ensemble of packaging, advertising and perfume. Starting with the first glass containers of antiquity it presents objects by famous designers as well as rarely shown creations right down to the present day, and recounts stories about the containers of these volatile essences.
2/12/2011 - 9/04/2012
Museum Bellerive, Zürich, Switzerland
The Art of the Writing Instrument from Paris to Persia
This focus show features writing instruments produced in cosmopolitan centers such as Paris, Isfahan, and Kyoto. Every culture that values the art of writing has found ways to reflect the prestige and pleasure of writing through beautiful tools. Writing implements, such as pens, knives, and scissors, as well as storage chests, pen-cases, and writing desks, were often fashioned with precious materials: mother of pearl, gems, imported woods, gold and silver. Once owned by statesmen, calligraphers, wealthy merchants and women of fashion, these stunning objects highlight the ingenuity of the artists who created them and underline the centrality of the written word in the diverse cultures that produced them.
2/07/2011 – 25/09/2011
Walters Art Museum, Baltimore, USA
Corals and bells: a collection of rattles
For the first time in Belgium, this exhibition presents a large private collection of rattles. The silver and gold rattles and jingling bells finished with precious materials such as rock-crystal, ivory and red coral are shown alongside charming miniatures and arresting children‘s portraits by painters like Théo Van Rysselberghe. To tie in with the exhibition, Sterckshof Silver Museum is producing a catalogue containing illustrations of the artworks and objects on show.
6/10/2009 – 10/01/2010
Sterckshof Silver Museum, Deurne, Antwerp, Belgium
Eye to Eye: Portrait Miniatures from the Collection of Phyllis and Jamie Wyeth
Toward the end of the 18th century, portraits of the single eye of a loved one became fashionable among the British nobility and aristocracy, a fashion that soon spread all over Europe. Given as a token of affection, these portraits were most often painted in watercolor on ivory and mounted in jewelry, appearing in the form of brooches, rings, lockets and bracelets. This exhibition, consisting of over 30 eye portraits drawn from the collection of Phyllis and Jamie Wyeth, offers visitors a very rare opportunity to view this distinctive form of portraiture.
17/04/2010 – 11/07/2010
Brandywine River Museum, Chadds Ford, PA, USA
Christmas tree ornaments from Jablonec
Exhibition of the silver and glass Christmas tree ornaments which were a speciality of the jewellery makers of Jablonec, Koniginhof and the Elbe River region in the 19th century. From the collection of Dr. Waltraud Neuwirth.
28/11/2009 - 28/02/2010
Museum Bautzen, Bautzen, Germany