Current Jewellery Exhibitions
This list of current and forthcoming jewellery exhibitions is provided as a service to our members. We have no means of checking the accuracy of the information, and cannot take responsibility for any mistakes. Please check in advance before visiting an exhibition to avoid disappointment.
Please tell us here if there are any other jewellery exhibitions which we should add to this list, or if anything needs correcting. You can see lists of past exhibitions here.
UK
London
Bejewelled: Badges, Brotherhood and Identity
freemasonry.london.museum/event/By wearing badges we can connect with one another and reveal something about ourselves. With their unique symbols and hidden meanings, this exhibition features over 150 stunning examples of masonic badges referred to as ‘jewels’. It is the largest public display of its kind ever staged in the UK. Including jewels from around the world, the exhibition sheds light on a long and celebrated tradition. Examples like the Egyptian-inspired Authors’ Lodge jewel and delightful Barraclough Plate jewel tell the story of freemasonry over three centuries. Whether made by Prisoners of War or for future kings, the beautiful craftsmanship that the jewels display is only matched by the story behind each one.
20/09/2018 - 24/08/2019
The Library and Museum of Freemasonry
Freemasons’ Hall, 60 Great Queen Street, London, WC2B 5AZ
Monday to Saturday 10am to 5pm
Admission is free
London
Multum in Parvo: A Collection of Engraved Gems
wartski.comThe first exhibition in Wartski's new premises situated at 60 St James’s Street in London will showcase a carefully curated collection of engraved gems assembled by the firm over several years. Entitled ‘Multum in Parvo’ (a Latin motto which translates as much in little), the exhibition will display over 80 intricate carvings in miniature, engraved into beautifully coloured and figured precious and semi-precious stones. Works of art by some of the most notable gem engravers of the 18th and 19th centuries will be represented, as well as examples dating from the Renaissance and Classical Antiquity.
1/10/2019 - 7/10/2019
Wartski
60 St James’s Street, London SW1A 1LE
Daily (including Sundays) 10.30am – 5pm
Admission free
EUROPE EX-UK
BELGIUM
Antwerp
‘Consummate Elegance’ Jewellery designs by L. Vander Cruycen
closing soon
divaantwerp.be/nlIn 2018 DIVA purchased an album of decorative prints. Thanks to the King Baudouin Foundation, DIVA also acquired a series of extremely rare preparatory drawings for jewellery attributed to L. Vander Cruycen, a jeweller who was active in Brussels and Paris in the 18th century. A selection of these acquisitions will be on display in the reading room at DIVA.
28/04/2019 - 15/06/2019
DIVA, Antwerp Home of Diamonds
Suikerrui 17-19, B-2000 Antwerp
Daily: 10.00-18.00. Closed on Wednesdays
Adults €10, concessions €7
Antwerp
Room of Wonder II: Wouters & Hendrix
divaantwerp.be/enThe Antwerp design duo Wouters & Hendrix takes over the baton from Axel Vervoordt as guest curators. Katrin Wouters and Karen Hendrix look back at what has amazed and inspired them in their 35-year career as jewellery designers and storytellers with a view to bringing together items of jewellery from their own body of work with gems from DIVA’s collection, contemporary art and curiosities. The leitmotif of the exhibition is Wouters & Hendrix’s fascination with remarkable stories and the precious metals silver and gold. The novel assemblages, so typical of their work, provide an explosion of forms and colours. An important aspect of the exhibition is Antwerp’s famed craftsmanship which is reflected in the collections.
13/09/2019 - 16/02/2020
DIVA, Antwerp Home of Diamonds
Suikerrui 17-19, B-2000 Antwerp
Daily: 10.00-18.00. Closed on Wednesdays
Adults €10, concessions €7
FRANCE
Alès
Toujours paré.e.s, de Néandertal aux Romains
Always adorned, from the Neanderthals to the Romans
ales.fr
Today, the oldest known ornaments are dated to more than 100 000 years. The jewel represents one of the oldest objects of humanity, still used. It is particularly interesting to use these objects to better understand the evolution of human societies, from the first Paleolithic beads to Roman rings. The timelessness of jewellery results in continuous types, shapes; plunging us into the distant past but becoming accessible today. At the same time, adornment, as an archaeological object is a support to learn and understand these ancient societies and see mirrored the great social transformations that have created the world of today.
17/05/2019 - 22/09/2019
Musée du Colombier
rue Jean Mayodon, 30100 Alès
Monday to Sunday from 14.00 to 18.00, 11.00 to 18.00 in July/August
Free admission to the permanent collections. Exhibitions Adults €5, concessions €2.50
Marseille
Les Reliquaires de A à Z
Reliquaries from A to Z
mucem.org/en/reliquaries-z
A as in "Agnus Dei", B as in "Bras" (arms), C as in "Custos", D as in "Dent" (tooth), E as in "Épine" (thorn) ... The major themes related to Christian practices and belief are presented via 26 letters in the exhibition "Reliquaries from A to Z": a mystical alphabet assembled from the collections of the Mucem. In 2002, the Mucem acquired from a private individual a unique collection of some 500 reliquaries. This very rich set testifies brilliantly to the variety of forms, techniques and uses of reliquaries in the European Christian world, mainly over a period from the 17th century to the first third of the 20th century. The term "relic", from Latin reliquiae (literally "remains"), refers to the human remains of holy persons (often bone fragments) or objects that belonged to them or had been in contact with their bodies. In the Christian religion, if the relics were first placed within the altar of churches, the development of their cult is accompanied by the production of a wide variety of containers used to preserve and glorify them: reliquaries, monstrances, paintings, chests, statues, custos, rosaries, medallions, etc. In the 17th century, reliquaries also enter into domestic spaces to protect the home. They are then found on the threshold of houses, on chimneys, or even suspended above beds. Their trade intensifies, and with it, the will of the Church to frame the practice and to guarantee the origin of the relics. Certificates of authenticity, meticulous inventories, showcasing, a desire to present the "rest" in its best light ... Practices around relics are not dissimilar to the conservation and exhibition work carried out by museums.
10/04/2019 - 2/09/2019
Le Mucem
Fort Saint-Jean, 201 quai du Port, Marseille
Wednesday - Monday, Nov - April 11—18, May - July 11—19, July - Sep 10—20
Adults €9.50, concessions €5
GERMANY
Berlin
Die Krone von Kertsch. Schätze aus Europas Frühzeit
The Crown of Kerch. Treasures from the Dawn of European History
smb.museum/en/exhibitions/
Gold jewellery from the migration period found near the Black Sea, silver brooches and magnificent belts from early medieval graves in France, Italy, Spain, and Germany: a selection from the collection of Johannes von Diergardt will be on view again in Berlin for the first time in 80 years, returning to the city where they were displayed until 1934. Following the death of the collector and art lover, these works moved to the Römisch-Germanisches Museum in Cologne. Construction work in the Cologne museum now offers a perfect opportunity to present the treasures to the Berlin public again for the first time in many years.
19/10/2017 - 29/09/2019
Neues Museum
Bodestraße, 10178 Berlin
Daily: 10:00 - 18:00, Thursday until 20:00
Adults €12, Concessions €6
Darmstadt
Alltagstauglich! Schmuck von Jugendstil bis Art Déco
Suitable for everyday use! Jewellery from Art Nouveau to Art Deco
hlmd.de
From simple to extravagant, but always original and creative - this is how the fashionable jewellery designed primarily for everyday use was designed in the first three decades of the 20th century. Even more strongly than today, a distinction was made between day jewellery and evening jewellery: day jewellery was usually "No diamonds before 6 pm". The favourite material was often silver, sometimes gilded, set with less precious gemstones. As a result, cheaper to manufacture and purchase, the pendants, brooches or bracelets worn by ladies during the day offered plenty of space for innovative solutions and the implementation of new stylistic influences such as Art Nouveau or Art Deco. More than 350 objects, mainly from Germany and Austria, encourage people to come to terms with the jewellery of the early 20th century. They all come from the private collection of Astrid Ratz-Coradazzi, never before shown in public, who invested her pocket money in her first Art Nouveau piece at the age of seven. But it is not just collecting, but also exploring that interests and preoccupies her. Having long been assisted by her husband, she successfully works through archives and libraries to link the jewellery with its manufacturer. Thus, as well as the accompanying catalogue, the exhibition is a "Who's Who" of German and Austrian jewellery design.
10/05/2019 - 11/08/2019
Hessisches Landesmuseum Darmstadt
Friedensplatz 1, 64283 Darmstadt
Tuesday to Friday 10 am – 6 pm, Wednesday until 8 pm, Saturday, Sunday and holidays 11 am – 5 pm
Adults €10, Concessions €6
Neugablonz
Natürlich Elegant. Schmuck und mehr
A special exhibition about the Gablonz Jewellery Industry
bv-schmuck-uhren.de/natuerlich-elegant
This interactive exhibition presents handcrafted jewellery from the workshops of the Gablonzer Industrie. Whether classical or modern, playful or straightforward - the individual creations have their own character and develop natural elegance. There is a variety of different designs and materials that every guest can create and try. This always creates new and very personal connections, because the effect of the jewellery is individual. The special show offers jewellery for special occasions and jewellery for every day.
8/04/2019 - 4/10/2019
Erlebnisausstellung der Gablonzer Industrie
Neue Zeile 11, 87600 Kaufbeuren-Neugablonz
Monday to Friday 09:30 - 12:00, Monday - Thursday also 14:00 – 17:00.
Admission free
Pforzheim
Unconfined Horizons. Jewellery from Humboldt’s Travel Routes
schmuckmuseum.deBorn 250 years ago, the scientist Alexander von Humboldt is regarded as one of the last universal geniuses, whose thoughts and actions laid many foundations for our current world view. In his 90-year life, this world citizen set out on two major expeditions: through South and Central America and through Russia as far as the borders of China. Influenced by the ideals of the Enlightenment, he was convinced that the only differences between people were their education or culture, and that all were equally destined for freedom. "The horizons of his thinking were unconfined", as the Humboldt expert Ottmar Ette points out. Genuine education, for Humboldt, meant being able to perceive the interconnectedness of things. His fields of research areas were correspondingly broad. He owes his present importance to his close scrutiny and scientific analysis, coupled with a profoundly humanistic approach. Accompanied by texts and images from the researcher's work, this exhibition displays a variety of artefacts and jewellery from his travels.
13/04/2019 - 8/09/2019
Schmuckmuseum Pforzheim
Jahnstraße 42, 75173 Pforzheim
Tuesday - Sunday 10.00 - 17.00 p.m.
Adults €6, Concessions €3.50
Pforzheim
Gold & Silver. Jewellery and Vessels Created by Ulla and Martin Kaufmann
schmuckmuseum.deFor nearly 50 years, Ulla and Martin Kaufmann have been creating jewellery and objects: initially with abstract flower shapes, then classically modern in their use of form, in recent decades influenced by the study of sculptors such as Richard Serras or Eduardo Chillidas. Both are goldsmiths and silversmiths, together they have had a studio in Hildesheim since 1970. The central role of her work, with some surprising forms, is the forged volume. The exterior, interior and open spaces of her works always play with form and function. In addition to many awards, Ulla and Martin Kaufmann were last awarded the Bavarian State Prize for their project "Cubes in Motion" in 2018. This exhibition shows a cross-section of the rich work of the couple.
13/07/2019 - 31/10/2019
Schmuckmuseum Pforzheim
Jahnstraße 42, 75173 Pforzheim
Tuesday - Sunday 10.00 - 17.00 p.m.
Adults €6, Concessions €3.50
Pforzheim
A Newly Ordered World. Jewellery from the Napoleonic Era
schmuckmuseum.deNapoleon Bonaparte, whose 250th anniversary occurs in 2019, reorganized the European world in many respects. This provides the Schmuckmuseum Pforzheim with the opportunity for a special exhibition on the new type of jewellery and fashion that characterized the Napoleonic era. These are Classicism as the "Style of Revolution" and the decorative Empire style that spread throughout western Europe as far as Russia. The values of the Enlightenment demanded an aesthetic of reason. It met the taste of a growing, self-confident and educated bourgeoisie and influenced all areas of culture - from architecture and painting, furniture, clothing and jewellery to literature and music. The visual arts created a spiritual aristocracy, breaking the tradition of an hereditary nobility. Over the course of the reign of Napoleon, the Empire style unfolded its representative splendour. With works by Chaumet, Napoleon's court jeweller, jewellery from his environment will also be on display.
13/07/2019 - 31/10/2019
Schmuckmuseum Pforzheim
Jahnstraße 42, 75173 Pforzheim
Tuesday - Sunday 10.00 - 17.00 p.m.
Adults €6, Concessions €3.50
Schwäbisch Gmünd
Impulse. 30 Jahre Stiftung Gold- und Silberschmiedekunst in Schwäbisch Gmünd
Impulse. 30 years of the Gold and Silversmiths' Craft Foundation Schwäbisch Gmünd
schwaebisch-gmuend.de/8763.php
In 2018 the Gold and Silversmithing Foundation of Schwäbisch Gmünd celebrates its 30th anniversary. In 1989 the foundation initiated various projects to promote gold and silversmithing. In addition to exhibitions, competitions and acquisitions, this included the establishment of a city goldsmith. Since 1989, a total of 15 renowned city goldsmiths have been guesting in Schwäbisch Gmünd with this award. Together with works by this year's 16 city goldsmiths, the exhibition brings together 70 pieces. The spectrum encompasses jewellery and objects, ranging from the traditionally enamelled brooch to unconventional necklaces made of a wide variety of materials, from the classic candlestick, coffee and mocha service to vessels which explore the limits of metal casting. Although designed individually and in their own time, the term Zeitgeist loses itself in the works: in addition to quality and creativity, they testify to timeless beauty. The exhibits come from artists, private and museum collections, and particular pieces, which were acquired by the foundation for the collections of the Gmünd museum. In addition, works from workshops, posters, books and other documents convey the intensity of the Foundation's activities over the past three decades.
15/04/2018 - 28/10/2019
Silberwarenmuseum Ott-Pausersche Fabrik
Milchgässle 10, 73525 Schwäbisch Gmünd
Tuesday - Friday 14.00 - 17.00 p.m, Thursday until 19.00, Saturday and Sunday 11.00 - 17.00 p.m
ITALY
Herculaneum
SplendORI. Il lusso negli Ornamenti ad Ercolano
SplendOri: Luxury in the Ornaments of Herculaneum
beniculturali.it/mibac
The Antiquarium of Herculaneum opens for the first time to the public, offering a glimpse of the life of Herculanean society through its precious objects, not only in the strict sense but all that they represented in terms of wealth, economic value, social and personal content. It includes jewellery and other objects previously in storage, as well as loans from the National Archaeological Museum in Naples and the Moregine silver treasure from Pompeii.
20/12/2018 – 30/09/2019
Parco archeologico di Ercolano
corso Resina, 187 80056 - Ercolano (NA)
20/12/18 to 31/03/2019: 08.30 - 17.00, 01/04 to 30/09/2019: 08.30 - 19.30
Mantua
Lo Spirito delle Cose. The silver and everyday treasures of the counts of Arco
arte.it/calendario-arte/mantovaOn display for the first time the core of the collection is on display, showing the family silver as well as the charming objects of the ladies, those for writing and smoking.
30/03/2019 - 30/11/2019
Museo di Palazzo d’Arco
Piazza Carlo d'Arco n°4, 46100 Mantova
Monday 9.30-13.00, Tuesday 14.30-18.00, Wednesday - Sunday 9.30-13.00, 14.30-18.00
Adults €8, Concessions €2
Milan
Van Cleef & Arpels: il Tempo, la Natura, l’Amore
This is the first Italian show to present the extraordinary jewels, watches and precious objects made by Van Cleef & Arpels since its foundation in Paris in 1906 to today. The exhibition celebrates the unique ability of jewels to unite eternity and ephemeral, love and manufacture, beauty and art. The exhibition is divided into three sections: Time, Nature, Love.
November 2019 - March 2020
Palazzo Reale
Piazza del Duomo, 12, Milano
Monday 2:30 - 7:30 pm, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, Sunday 09:30 am - 7:30 pm, Thursday & Saturday 09:30 am - 10:30 pm
Adults €14, Concessions €12
Pompeii
Vanity: Stories of Jewels from the Cyclades to Pompeii
pompeiisites.org/en/exhibitionsVanity, ephemeral pleasure, the captivating illusion of happiness, invariably displayed through riches, even in the Greek and Roman world. This is the theme of the refined exhibition “Vanity: Stories of Jewels from the Cyclades to Pompeii”, scheduled to run from 10 May to 5 August 2019, at the Great Palaestra of the excavations of Pompeii (west portico).
10/05/2019 - 5/08/2019
Great Palaestra of the excavations of Pompeii (west portico)
Via Marina, 6, 80045 Pompei NA
Monday - Friday, 9.00 - 18.00, Saturday - Sunday 8.30 - 18.00
Adults €15, Concessions €2
Urbino
Scultura Aurea. Gioielli d’Artista per un nuovo Rinascimento
Golden Sculpture. Artist's Jewels for a new Renaissance
gallerianazionalemarche.it
The exhibition displays, in the Renaissance halls of the Ducal Palace of Urbino, an overview of artist's jewellery of the 20th and 21st centuries and is a precious opportunity to bring to the attention of the public the contribution of sculptors and painters to the sphere of jewellery, understood as a perfectly accomplished work of art, in the full mastery of major and minor arts which finds full conceptual and aesthetic realisation in the palace built for Federico da Montefeltro. Over 140 pieces, made by 46 international artists, highlighting contributions and influences and emphasising the revolutionary scope of the overlap between the arts in the field of goldsmithing.
31/05/2019 – 8/09/2019
Galleria Nazionale delle Marche
Palazzo Ducale di Urbino, Piazza Rinascimento 13, 61029 Urbino (PU)
Monday: 8:30 to 14:00, Tuesday - Sunday: 8:30 to 19:15
Adults €8, Concessions €4
Verona
Bellezza e cura del corpo nell'antichità
Beauty and the care of the body in antiquity
museoarcheologico.comune.verona.it
This exhibition shows around 140 objects not normally exhibited, many of which have been restored for the occasion. Precious ornaments, in addition to enhancing the appearance of the wearer, often indicated their well-being or position in society. The jewels often had the function of protecting their owner, with appropriate representations or for their own constituent material. For example, Pliny the Elder reminds us that amber jewels, in addition to beautifying women, safeguarded from diseases, in particular the throat.
26/10/2018 – 29/09/2019
Museo Archeologico al Teatro Romano
Regaste Redentore 2 Verona
Monday 13.30 to 19.30, Tuesday-Sunday 8.30 to 19.30
Adults €4.50, Concessions €3
MONACO
Monaco
Chaumet en Majesté. Joyaux de souveraines depuis 1780
grimaldiforum.com/en/eventsFrom July 12 to August 28, 2019, Chaumet will present at the Grimaldi Forum an exhibition devoted to the art of the diadem, this cult jewel, a symbol of power and sovereignty that has become the symbol of the sublimation of femininity. Placed under the high patronage of His Serene Highness Prince Albert II, this event will highlight outstanding women, empresses, queens and princesses of the European courts, as well as the jewels created for them by Chaumet for 240 years. The curation was placed under the responsibility of Stéphane Bern, a media personality, journalist and writer, along with Christophe Vachaudez, a jewel historian, both specialists in the Royal Courts. Separated into six major themes, the exhibition will take you on a journey into the heart of the creation and symbolism of head jewellery. Based around Chaumet’s rich heritage collections, but also on the generous participation of prestigious museums, great European families and many private collections, this unique exhibition will be a hymn to the splendour of Parisian jewellery from the 18th century to the present day.
12/07/2019 - 28/08/2020
Grimaldi Forum
10 Av. Princesse Grace, 98000 Monaco
Daily 10 am to 8 pm, Thursday until 10 pm
Adults €6 (advance booking)
NETHERLANDS
Amsterdam
Jewels!
hermitage.nl/en/The Hermitage’s fabulous jewellery collection is one of its greatest treasures. Over the centuries it has become the repository of thousands of precious pieces. In the autumn of 2019, hundreds of them will travel to the Netherlands to feature in Jewels! Visitors will encounter flamboyant female rulers like Elizabeth of Russia and Catherine the Great, but also grand dukes and noble families of the nineteenth and early twentieth century. They had their portraits painted by leading artists and on special occasions they wore dazzling gowns and ensembles set off by carefully selected bijoux. Jewels were a statement of identity and a demonstration of taste, breeding and wealth. Occasionally, they might also be designed to provoke or contain hidden symbolism. They were ordered from European jewellery firms like Boucheron or Cartier, master goldsmiths like Claude Ballin or, of course, from Fabergé, Goldsmith by Special Appointment to the Imperial Crown. The exhibits will reflect the fashions of four centuries: baroque, rococo, neoclassical, empire, art nouveau and modern, also from the 21th century.
14/09/2019 - 15/03/2020
Hermitage Amsterdam
Amstel 51, Amsterdam
10 am - 5 pm
Adults €18
Doesburg
Oosters Licht. De invloed van Japan op de Westerse kunst
Oriental Light - The influence of Japan on Western art
musee-lalique.nl/oosters-licht-de-invloed-van-japan-op-de-westerse-kunst
With the birthplace of European civilization we often think of Syria, Sumeria, Mesopotamia, Egypt, Greece and Rome. Although this is where the roots of Western civilization lie, we must note that in the mid-19th century an unexpected influence came from the East. Through the Kanagawa treaty in 1854, Japan opened its doors to the West. The treaty led to a civil war in Japan that was only stopped in 1867 by the installation of a new emperor, also known as the Meiji restoration. In Europe, the second industrial revolution had made it possible for a new elite within society to emerge that had acquired power not through inheritance (such as nobility) but through its own efforts. This led to a new injection of capital but also to the loss of the old guild systems. In England in particular, people longed for the old craftsmanship. Under the leadership of William Morris and John Ruskin, the Art & Crafts movement was established that had set itself the goal of reintroducing well-crafted craftsmanship at an affordable price. Yet this movement, together with the influence of Japanese art in the West, led to a new movement, 'Art Nouveau' from 1895. Although Art Nouveau was the result of everything that preceded it, it was also a complete break with it. The forms focused on nature and old animistic or polytheic symbolism. The latter in particular differ essentially from the Christian tradition in which oppositions such as "good and evil", "god versus devil" are decisive for thinking. Within the animistic "thinking" or rather "perceiving" one experiences everything as a "whole" and therefore undivided. This influence could not only be observed in art, but above all in the new way of thinking within Western society. The oeuvre of this exhibition will include work by the following artists: Lalique, Mucha, Gallé, Daum, Knox, Van de Velde, Majorelle, Macintosh, Maison Vever, Fouquet, Gautrait and many others. Work by other artists will also be exhibited that is generally not as well known to the general public but is of the same high quality as that of Lalique or Mucha.
8/07/19 - 7/11/2019
Lalique Museum Nederland
Gasthuisstraat 1, 6981 CP, Doesburg
Tuesday to Sunday: 11.30 am - 5 pm
Adults €15
Nijmegen
Sieraden uit de bodem
Jewellery from the bottom
museumhetvalkhof.nl
Jewellery is probably as old as humanity itself. It is a way to distinguish yourself or to radiate power. Gold jewellery has existed in Gelderland since 2300 BC, but remains very rare until Roman times. It often indicates contacts with other peoples, for example within the Celtic area, where networks were created through the exchange of valuable gifts. Bronze jewellery comes from around 1800 BC. for neck rings, bracelets and decorative pins, used to fasten clothing. The Romans bring their own style of body decoration to our country. Rings of precious and base metals, but also of precious stones are very popular. In the early Middle Ages, a new fashion emerged that is strikingly similar in Northwest Europe. Typically, jewellery is inlaid with pieces of garnet, a bright red gem originating from India. Beautifully decorated belts for men can certainly also be counted among the jewellery. Many of these age-old jewels were deposited in tombs, or had been abandoned or lost for various reasons. Often, after having been in the soil for centuries, they are found in archaeological excavations. By comparing these jewels with preserved paintings and sculptures, we can form a picture of thelr use.
Ending 31 December 2019
Museum Het Valkhof
Kelfkensbos 59, 6511 TB Nijmegen
Tuesday to Sunday: 11 am - 5 pm
Adults €11, Concessions €5.50
AMERICAS
CANADA
Edmonton, AB
Vikings: Beyond the Legend
royalalbertamuseum.ca/visit'Vikings: Beyond the Legend' is the largest touring exhibition of Viking artifacts in the world. It's an immersive experience surrounding 650 artefacts ranging from exotic jewels to three Viking warships, including the 37-metre Roskilde 6, the longest Viking warship ever found, featuring approximately 1,000 year-old wooden planks and metal supports showing the ship's original lines. Striking multimedia and 11 interactive stations bring this historic exhibition to life.
18/04/2019 – 20/10/2019
Royal Alberta Museum
9810 103a Ave NW, Edmonton, Alberta T5J 0G2
Daily, 10:00 am – 5:00 pm; Thursday, Friday 10:00 am – 8:00 pm
Adults $15, Concessions $10, $14
Toronto, ON
Treasures of a Desert Kingdom
rom.on.ca/en/exhibitionsAlluring jewellery, lavish tents and canopies, vibrant paintings, and opulent decorative arts tell stories of kingship, strategic alliances, the role of women and life at court. Amassed over the course of nearly four centuries, these treasures reflect the history and artistic legacy of the Rathore dynasty, one of the longest continuous royal lineages in the world, that ruled this desert kingdom until India’s independence in 1947. The exhibition features masterpieces drawn from the collection of the former royal family, most of which are on display outside their palace setting for the very first time. While the stunning objects highlight India’s multifaceted past, they reveal a lasting cosmopolitan culture that was sustained by a delicate balance between local and external influences, and tradition and modernity.
21/09/2019 – 23/02/2020
Royal Ontario Museum
100 Queen’s Park, Toronto, ON M5S 2C6
Monday to Friday, 10:00 am to 5:30 pm, Saturday & Sunday, 10:00 am to 5:30 pm
Adults $32, Concessions $21, $28
Toronto, ON
Caravans of Gold, Fragments in Time: Art, Culture, and Exchange across Medieval Saharan Africa
agakhanmuseum.org/exhibitions/caravans-of-goldThe exhibition draws on recent archaeological discoveries, showcasing fragments excavated in major African trading centres. These “fragments in time” are displayed alongside stunning works of art from around the world that invite us to imagine the fragments as they once were, to reconsider treasures from the Western canon, and to see the past and present in a new light. It transforms long-standing narratives about the medieval world and fills a critical gap in our understanding of world history.
21/09/2019 – 23/02/2020
Aga Khan Museum
77 Wynford Drive, Toronto, ON M3C 1K1
Tuesday - Sunday, 10:00 am – 6:00 pm; Thursday 10:00 am – 8:00 pm
Adults $20, Concessions $12, $15
USA
Boston, MA
Past Is Present: Revival Jewelry
mfa.orgWhether by directly copying or selectively choosing motifs to reinterpret, jewellers have a long-standing tradition of looking to the past for inspiration. The practice became popular in the 19th century, as designers like Castellani, Giacinto Melillo and Eugène Fontenay began reviving examples of ancient ornaments, newly unearthed in archaeological excavations. This exhibition examines more than 4,000 years of jewellery history through about 70 objects, including both ancient and revival examples. The revival movement is traced from the 19th to the 21st century, focusing on four types — archaeological, Classical, Egyptian and Renaissance. Highlights include an 1850s embellished gold brooch by Castellani; a Renaissance revival neck ornament (1900–04) designed for Tiffany & Co.; a 1980s Bulgari necklace adorned with Macedonian coins; and a 2002 Akelo pendant that emulates an ancient Etruscan granulation technique.
14/02/2017 – 19/08/2019
Museum of Fine Arts
Avenue of the Arts, 465 Huntington Avenue, Boston, MA 02115
Saturday – Tuesday, 10:00 am – 4:45 pm; Wednesday - Friday, 10:00am - 9:45 pm
$25 - Adult, $23 Concessions, Free Children 17 and under
Boston, MA
Boston Made. Arts and Crafts Jewelry and Metalwork
mfa.org/exhibitions/boston-madeBold colour combinations of gemstones and enamels, foliate motifs, and designs inspired by historical styles, often with a certain glitziness—that is what defined the “Boston look” of Arts and Crafts jewellery and metalwork. Beginning as a reaction against the dehumanising effects of industrialisation, the international Arts and Crafts movement spurred a renaissance of handcraftsmanship in Boston at the turn of the 20th century. As part of this movement, the city quickly emerged as one of the most active and influential artistic jewellery-making and metalworking communities in the nation. “Boston Made: Arts and Crafts Jewelry and Metalwork” presents the story of this community over a 30-year period, from its inception at the beginning of the 20th century to the stock market crash of 1929 that signaled its decline. “Boston Made” is the first exhibition to focus exclusively on the Arts and Crafts metalsmiths in Boston and highlights the contributions of newly empowered women artists like Josephine Hartwell Shaw and Elizabeth Copeland, among others. While adhering to the ideas and ideals of the international Arts and Crafts movement, Boston artists developed a signature aesthetic that set their work apart from the broader movement. “Boston Made” brings together more than 75 works—including jewellery, tableware, decorative accessories, and design drawings—that illuminate the passions and philosophies of this interwoven community of jewellery-makers and metalsmiths. Among the notable works on view are a scroll brooch (about 1920) by Frank Gardner Hale, studded with gemstones and embellished with gold scrolls; a jewelled casket (about 1929) by Edward Everett Oakes; and a necklace (1910–18) by Josephine Hartwell Shaw. Arts and Crafts was a philosophy as much as an artistic movement, looking to the pre-industrial past for design and lifestyle guidance. Design was more important than opulence, and materials were selected for their aesthetic properties, rather than for their intrinsic value. These ideas melded well with Boston’s progressive intellectual community of the early 20th century. The exhibition is accompanied by an illustrated book from MFA Publications (November 2018).
17/11/2018 – 29/03/2020
Museum of Fine Arts
Avenue of the Arts, 465 Huntington Avenue, Boston, MA 02115
Saturday – Tuesday, 10:00 am – 4:45 pm; Wednesday - Friday, 10:00am - 9:45 pm
$25 - Adult, $23 Concessions, Free Children 17 and under
Brockton, MA
Striking Gold: Fuller at Fifty
fullercraft.org/event/striking-gold-fuller-at-50/In honour of its esteemed 50-year history, Fuller Craft presents the exhibition 'Striking Gold'. This invitational exhibition marks the institution’s “golden anniversary” as it probes the storied history of gold as an artistic material as well as its cultural, historical, and political associations. The inclusion of gold in the selected works reveals clear intention and purpose, rather than being used for purely decorative effect. In each case gold serves as the subject, as well as a material property of the work.
17/11/2018 – 29/03/2020
Fuller Craft Museum
455 Oak Street, Brockton, MA 02301
Tuesday – Sunday: 10:00 am – 5:00 pm, Thursday: 10:00 am – 9:00 pm
Adults $10, Seniors $8, Students $5. Free Children 12 and under
Chicago, IL
Ornamental Traditions: Jewelry from Bukhara
closing soon
artic.edu/exhibition/ornamental-traditions-jewelry-bukharaLocated in present-day Uzbekistan, the Emirate of Bukhara (1785–1920) was an important centre of Islamic religion and scholarship and a major oasis on the famous Silk Road that traversed Central Asia from ancient times. Some of the most magnificent examples of Uzbek jewellery come from the court of the last emir of Bukhara, Mohammed Alim Khan (1880–1944), where men and women dressed in embroidered silks, fine silver, and enameled jewels. Their jewellery served various functions, often simultaneously: indicating political status and wealth, signifying religious and spiritual practice, and marking important rites of passage or ethnic identity. This exhibition brings together nearly 50 jewelled objects from the Central Asian region of Bukhara — promised gifts from the private collection of Barbara Levy Kipper and her late husband, David — and rare ikat and embroidered textiles from the Art Institute’s permanent collection. The jewellery and decorative objects presented in this exhibition offer an exceptional experience of a rich and vibrant artistic heritage rarely seen outside the former Soviet Union.
30/06/2018 - 30/06/2019
Art Institute of Chicago
111 S Michigan Ave, 159 East Monroe Street, Chicago, IL 60603-6110
Open daily 10:30–5:00, Thursday until 8:00
Adults: $25. Concessions: $19
Cleveland OH
William Harper: The Beautiful & the Grotesque
closing soon
m.cia.edu/events/2019There are painters who are craftsmen; there are jewelers who are artists. I maintain that the finest art, in any medium, results from those who are both artists and craftsmen. — William Harper. In the world of artist William Harper’s vibrant and improvisational jewellery, craftsmanship and concept are always entwined. Now visitors to the Cleveland Institute of Art’s Reinberger Gallery may experience his singular visual voice. The more than 60 works of art on view will include Harper’s exquisitely crafted fine jewellery; display boxes built from assemblages of found objects; paintings; and Japanese-style folding books. Driven by an intense love for the material process, Harper enters his studio with improvisational spirit, allowing each move to inspire the next. His lush objects combine unexpected materials, including plastic beads, nails, and bone as well as pearls, jewels, precious metals, and enamel. The exhibit's title, The Beautiful & the Grotesque, underscores the tension between high and low, between precious and disposable, and between what draws and repels a viewer.
4/04/2018 - 14/06/2019
Cleveland Institute of Art
Reinberger Gallery, 11610 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland OH 44106
Open daily 10:30–5:00, Thursday until 8:00
Adults: $25. Concessions: $19
Dayton, OH
Maker & Muse: Women and Early 20th-Century Art Jewelry
closing soon
daytonartinstitute.orgThe DAI will be the exclusive Ohio venue for this travelling exhibition, organised by The Richard H. Driehaus Museum and toured by International Arts and Artists, Washington, D.C. Maker & Muse showcases the world of art jewellery at the turn of the 20th century, featuring the Art Nouveau styles of France, Germany and Austria, and the Arts and Crafts movement in Britain and America, including works from the Louis Comfort Tiffany Studios, New York. The exhibition will feature more than 240 extraordinary examples of jewellery, looking specifically at the important roles women played in the creation and wearing of art jewellery, as both maker and muse.
4/04/2018 - 14/06/2019
Dayton Art Institute
456 Belmonte Park North, Dayton, Ohio 45405
Wednesday - Saturday: 11:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m, Sunday: Noon - 5:00 p.m, Extended hours until 8:00 p.m. on Thursdays
Adults: $8. Concessions: $5
Evanston, IL
Caravans of Gold, Fragments in Time: Art, Culture, and Exchange across Medieval Saharan Africa
blockmuseum.northwestern.eduCaravans of Gold is the first major exhibition addressing the scope of Saharan trade and the shared history of West Africa, the Middle East, North Africa, and Europe from the 8th to 16th centuries. Weaving stories about interconnected histories, the exhibition showcases the objects and ideas that connected at the crossroads of the medieval Sahara and celebrates West Africa’s historic and underrecognized global significance. It draws on recent archaeological discoveries, including rare fragments from major medieval African trading centers like Sijilmasa, Gao, and Tadmekka. These “fragments in time” are seen alongside works of art that invite us to imagine them as they once were. They are the starting point for a new understanding of the medieval past and for seeing the present in a new light. Presenting more than 250 artworks spanning five centuries and a vast geographic expanse, the exhibition features unprecedented loans from partner institutions in Mali, Morocco, and Nigeria, many of which will be seen in North America for the first time.
26/01/2019 - 21/07/2019
The Block Museum
Northwestern University, 40 Arts Circle Drive, Evanston, IL 60208
Tuesday, Saturday, Sunday 10AM - 5PM, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday 10AM - 8PM
Admission free
New York, NY
A View from the Jeweler’s Bench: Ancient Treasures, Contemporary Statements
closing soon
bgc.bard.edu/gallery/exhibitionsThis exhibition explores how contemporary jewellery makers are drawing from antique forms and techniques to create modern works of art. It is curated by Sasha Nixon, a recent alumna of Bard Graduate Center. Our Gallery presents the exhibition at a time when art and academic institutions are increasingly focused on contemporary art jewellery, and in a moment when ancient jewelry has become a prevalent source of inspiration for contemporary jewellery artists. The exhibition focuses on how contemporary artists working with jewellery create the final form of a piece at the jeweller’s bench, the place where jewellery is wrought by hand. To convey this process, the exhibition includes a jeweller’s bench, sketches, and tools. It also considers how jewellery from the ancient world to the present informs contemporary practice by comparing recent pieces to their precedents. This organizational structure illuminates the connections between present and past — in terms of form, technique, and materials — so that visitors can better see how artists are re-considering the art of adornment and age-old jewellery forms in exciting new ways.
14/02/2019 - 7/07/2019
Bard Graduate Center Gallery
38 West 86th St. New York, NY 10024
Tuesday to Sunday 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Wednesday and Thursday 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Adults: $7, Concessions $5
New York, NY
Non-Stick Nostalgia. Y2K Retrofuturism in Contemporary Jewelry
closing soon
artrabbit.com/eventsContemporary jewellery — the personal expressiveness it stands for, and the combustion of tradition and technology bubbling in the core of its material DNA — is a uniquely telling manifestation of the psyche of our time. Non-Stick Nostalgia: Y2K Retrofuturism in Contemporary Jewelry highlights the work of 26 national and international artists who explore the friction between the analog and the digital. The exhibition also includes a selection of pieces from MAD’s permanent collection that present different interpretations of futurism in jewellery. The featured contemporary pieces channel an aesthetic that is plastic and pixelated, vibrant and glossy, amorphous or chromed, echoing the post-nascent Internet culture that has evolved since the dawn of the 21st century. Like the cultivated digitised images of millennial cyber personas, jewellery has become hyper-real. Together, they are in idyllic sync.
14/02/2019 - 7/07/2019
MAD - Museum of Arts and Design
Jerome and Simona Chazen Building, 2 Columbus Circle, New York NY 10019
Tuesday to Sunday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Thursday 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Adults: $16, Concessions $12/$14
New York, NY
The Colmar Treasure: A Medieval Jewish Legacy
metmuseum.org/exhibitionsA cache of jewelled rings, brooches, and coins — the precious possessions of a Jewish family of medieval Alsace — was hidden in the 14th century in the wall of a house in Colmar, France. Discovered in 1863, the Colmar Treasure revives the memory of a once-thriving Jewish community that was scapegoated and put to death when the Plague struck the region with devastating ferocity in 1348–49. A generous loan of the Musée de Cluny, Paris, the Colmar Treasure will be displayed alongside select works from The Met Cloisters and little-known Judaica from collections in the United States and France. Although the objects on view are small in scale and relatively few in number, the ensemble overturns conventional notions of medieval Europe as a monolithic Christian society. The exhibition will point to both legacy and loss, underscoring the prominence of the Jewish minority community in the tumultuous 14th century and the perils it faced.
22/07/2019 - 12/01/2020
The Met Cloisters
99 Margaret Corbin Drive, Fort Tryon Park, New York, NY 10040
Open daily. March – October: 10:00 am – 5:15 pm, November – February: 10:00 am – 4:45 pm.
Adults: $25, Concessions $17/$12
Washington, DC
Good As Gold: Fashioning Senegalese Women
africa.si.edu/exhibitions/In the cities of the West African nation of Senegal, stylish women have often used jewellery as part of an overall strategy of exhibiting their elegance and prestige. Rooted in the Wolof concept of sañse (dressing up, looking and feeling good), Good As Gold examines the production, display, and circulation of gold in Senegal as it celebrates a significant gift from art historian Marian Ashby Johnson of over 250 works of West African jewellery to the National Museum of African Art’s collection. A catalogue featuring Johnson’s collection of Senegalese gold jewellery will be released to coincide with the opening of the exhibition. It will include new photography of key works in the collection and exhibition; trace the history of gold in Senegal, documenting the techniques, materials and practices of goldsmiths; and will reveal the inspirational and economic roles of women in commissioning, trading and fashioning Senegalese jewellery. Johnson has contributed an essay to the catalogue on the history of gold in West Africa, Senegalese goldsmiths and their collaboration with women in the region.
24/10/2018 - 29/09/2019
Smithsonian National Museum of African Art
950 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, D.C. 20560
Daily 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Admission is free.
Washington, DC
Caravans of Gold, Fragments in Time: Art, Culture, and Exchange across Medieval Saharan Africa
8/04/2020 - 29/11/2020
Smithsonian National Museum of African Art
950 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, D.C. 20560
Daily 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Admission is free.
Washington, DC
Perfume & Seduction
closing soon
hillwoodmuseum.orgDiscover the finest examples of perfume bottles, gold boxes, porcelain objects, and other eighteenth-century luxury items that were used in the bathing and dressing ritual known as la toilette. This special exhibition will present examples of objects from Hillwood's collection that represent the finest luxury objects used in this elaborate ritual. A selection of objects from the private European collection of Givaudan, the Swiss manufacturer of flavours, fragrances, and cosmetics, founded in 1898 by the French brothers, Xavier and Léon Givaudan, will complement the Hillwood collection. Presented for the first time in the United States, the Givaudan collection of luxury objects for the service de toilette is one of the most important and complete in Europe.
16/02/2019 - 9/06/2019
Hillwood Estate, Museum & Gardens
4155 Linnean Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20008
Tuesday through Sunday, 10 am to 5 pm.
Adults $18, Seniors $15, Students $10, Children 6 and under free
ASIA
CHINA
Beijing
Jean Schlumberger: Twentieth Century Treasures from the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts
ebeijing.gov.cnThis exhibition features more than 100 unique pieces of visually stunning jewellery and accessories designed by mid-20th century artist-jeweller Jean Schlumberger. From crafting costume jewellery for the Surrealist fashion designer Elsa Schiaparelli in 1930s Paris to heading his own private salon at New York’s Tiffany & Co. beginning in the 1950s, Schlumberger was known for inventive interpretations of animal and botanical subjects and iconic pieces that came to define mid-century chic.
30/05/2019 - 1/09/2019
National Museum of China (NMC)
16 East Chang'an Avenue, Dongcheng District, Beijing 100006
Tuesday - Sunday 9:00 - 17:00
ISRAEL
Jerusalem
Jewelry Making: Past & Present
islamicart.co.il/english/EventsJewellery making is a language. It is a language whose vocabulary comprises different metals, precious stones and new and contemporary materials. They all combine in an infinite number of ways, like words that join together to form sentences. The Jewelry Making exhibition presents a dialogue between culture, religion, past and present, across a timeline of around a millennium. Then first section features jewellery making works associated with the world’s three main monotheistic religions, which were designed to be used for cult or ritual purposes. The second section of the exhibition engages in contemporary jewellery making. 45 Israeli jewelry makers were asked by the museum to create jewelry works inspired by the museum’s Islamic jewelry collection. The third part of the exhibition will present jewellery that belonged to the late singer Ofra Hazza. These are traditional jewellery items from Yemenite Jewry made especially for her by Benzion David, an 8th-generation descendant of jewellery makers from Najran in north Yemen. The exhibition will also include jewellery made by Bedouin jewellery makers Hussein Awad and his son Mansour, from the Jabalia tribe.
30/05/2019 - 16/11/2019
The Museum for Islamic Art
2 Hapalmach St. Jerusalem
Mon-Wed: 10:00-15:00, Thursday: 10:00-19:00, Friday-Saturday: 10:00-14:00
Adults 40 NIS, Concessions 20 NIS.