Cornelie Holzach – författare

Since the beginning of his creative work in 1980, Georg Dobler, the jewellery artist and lecturer at the University of Applied Arts and Science in Hildesheim, has engaged in working with geometrical forms. Also in the mid 1980s, when he first drew on naturalistic elements, provoking an outcry in the jewellery world, his work was still bound by geometrical dimensions. It was exactly because naturalism was viewed as outmoded, however, that Dobler was viewed as a pioneer by the next generation of auteur jewellery designers.The artist complements his casts from nature (exotic plants and beetles) - Dobler sees himself as a collector of structures and forms - with large, facetted stones as an artistic addition. Yellow to orange-glowing lemon citrine and tender lilac amethysts combine with the metal surfaces to create a shimmering play of colours. Pure silver is seldom found in Dobler's work; his trademark is rather black chromium or oxidized silver surfaces that shine in iridescent black.Georg Dobler is not only a pioneer, he also finds inspiration among the great artists of early modern art. Thus in the mid 1990s he drew on the abstract paintings of a Piet Mondrian, Wassily Kandinsky or Kazimir Malevich, who ignited his fantasy and inspired his compositions. Text in English & German.Exhibition in the Museum für Kunst und Gewerbe, Hamburg, November/December 2010 and further venues in Pforzheim, Hanau, Bielefeld and Berlin in 2011.

The Viennese gallery Slavik has been exhibiting international contemporary jewellery art of the highest quality for 20 years. The rotating bronze disc above the entrance beckons the visitor to enter into a unique universe and into a singular architectonic design concept. As a meeting place for artists, collectors and museum professionals from all over the world, it is the goal of the gallery owner Renate Slavik to provide a deeper understanding of the fascinating nature of contemporary jewellery art. Since 1990 the former antique dealer has supported unique, handcrafted jewellery with her enthusiasm and vision. "Art on the body" made of paper, synthetic material, tin as well as traditional "ingredients" like gold, pearls and diamonds are displayed in her changing exhibitions.In the gallery artistic impetus has been provided by Annelies Planteydt and Gijs Bakker from Holland; from international masters of studio jewellery such as Giampaolo Babetto or from the Padua School of Francesco Pavan. The gallery's repertoire includes avant-garde jewellery by Annamaria Zanella, Jacqueline Ryan, Stefano Marchetti and Giovanni Corvaja as well as the geometrical creations of David Watkins or the golden bracelet discs by Okinari Kurokawa. The Catalan Massana School of Joaquim Capdevila and Ramon Puig Cuyas with their colourful, narrative style; Helfried Kodré's brooches and ring sculptures as a three-dimensional, spatially-extended implementation of geometry; Michael Becker's clear, architectonic language of form; or the works with moving surfaces by Yasuki Hiramatsu represent different expressions of contemporary jewellery work. The doors stand wide open to the up-and-coming generation of craftsmen - one of the gallery owner's favourite tasks is to scout out young talent such as Miriam Hiller or Isabell Schaupp.Features 60 artists including Gijs Bakker, Anna Heindl, Miriam Hiller, Helfried Kodré, Elisabeth J. Defner, Michael Becker, Anneliese Planteydt, Francesco Pavan, David Watkins, Stefano Marchetti, Daniel Kruger, Annamaria Zanella, Giovanni Corvaja, Jacqueline Ryan, Renzo Pasquale.Text in English & German.

Jewellery designed by Ute Eitzenhöfer is intrinsically complex and contradictory. Her designs range from playful, sensual, reassuring, to dark, angry, provocative and brutal. Intrinsic beauty and its value to society is a recurring theme of her work. The jewellery she creates is autonomous, it makes a statement; created not for an abstract display case, these are strong artefacts that become complete, that find some meaning, only when worn on the body. The narrative Eitzenhöfer strives for is one of social criticism, her designs are perceived as opulent yet reflect certain images or concepts inherent in the modern world. She has consistently challenged and explored the themes of freedom, time, sensuality and superficiality in her work. This volume is a collection of designs that range from her earlier creative work to the last ten years; thought-provoking, imaginative and often extreme, this is jewellery as a social statement, rather than an accessory. Text in English and German.

Winfried Krüger (born 1944) belongs to that generation of jewellery artists who witnessed the birth of avant-garde jewellery in the 1960s. The skilled goldsmith liberated himself from precision, fineness and other virtues of his craft in order to allow free rein to his creativity. For Krüger jewellery is ever-present. From the tread of a shoe via the launch pad of a firework to the set of a science fiction film - he finds inspiration in all of these things. Translated into metal, extraordinary artworks are then created, which in the examination of ideas, form, materiality and surface show a modern, innovative understanding of jewellery, which he has imparted to his students over twenty years as lecturer at the technical college for design in Pforzheim.Despite this, Winfried Krüger has, as far as publishing his work is concerned, played hard to get. For the very first time this monograph presents the artist's work in a comprehensive retrospective, whose focus rests on the work from the last twenty years.Winfried Krüger is represented in numerous prestigious museums and collections, including Schmuckmuseum Pforzheim (DE), Designmuseo, Helsinki (FI), Museum für Kunst und Gewerbe Hamburg (DE), Stedelijk Museum's-Hertogenbosch (NL), Musée des Beaux Arts de Montréal (CAN), Die Neue Sammlung - The International Design Museum Munich (DE), Galerie Marzee, Nijmegen (NL), Musée de design et d'arts appliqués contemporains, Lausanne (CH).Text in English and German.

Embossing, punching and guilloche engraving are techniques that have almost faded into oblivion. Today they are experiencing a new lease of life in contemporary jewellery. The Manufactory-Style Jewellery Design project fosters the passing down of experiential knowledge through the collaboration of artisans and designers from three generations. The book presents an excerpt of this success story by means of archive material and interviews with former masters, explains how the machines work, and illustrates contemporary examples.Text in English and German.

Manfred Bischoff (1947–2015) was one of the most innovative jewellery artists of our time. He designed items of jewellery that tell stories and enriched his language of forms through references to contemporary art, quotations from art history and philosophy, and inspiration from his bountiful world of ideas. Through this, he developed his own particular way of mounting his jewellery pieces on drawings, on which messages and titles appear in his own characteristic hand. In this book, his work is showcased in its entirety for the very first time, including early works, which attracted little attention in previous publications. The publication is oriented on the sequence of places that each had a major influence on his works: first Berlin, followed by further locations in Italy. The book not only documents Manfred Bischoff’s multifaceted oeuvre with numerous illustrations and preliminary sketches; it also provides insights, via additional private photos and notes, into a remarkable artistic universe.Text in English and German.

Alongside Erasmus of Rotterdam, Johannes Reuchlin (1455–1522) is one of the most important European humanists whose works marked the transition from the Middle Ages to the modern era. The year 2022 marks the 500th anniversary of the Pforzheim-born jurist, Hebraist, and religious philosopher’s death, cause indeed for an exhibition and publication to bring jewellery, writings, and language into a stimulating dialogue and to offer new meanings to the titular mystery of signs. At the fore stands the human quest for understanding and tolerance, which has lost none of its relevance today. One particular focal point comprises selected manuscripts and works by Reuchlin, highlighted from new perspectives. An additional emphasis is placed on objects that reflect Reuchlin’s cognitive world through script and symbols from the resplendent collection of the Schmuckmuseum Pforzheim [Pforzheim jewellery museum].With contributions by Jonathan Boyd, Beatriz Chadour-Sampson, Matthias Dall’Asta, Cornelie Holzach, Wolfgang Mayer, Susanne Nagel, Katja Poljanac, Stefan Rhein, Nathan Ron, Isabel Schmidt-Mappes, Pierre Vesperin, and Anja Wolkenhauer.Text in German.

Contemporary gold- and silversmithing encompasses a vast range. Increasingly, a daring, (self-)critical, and inventive scene is edging its way to the fore, focusing on challenging the innovative expansion of classical forms and motifs of jewellery, vessels, and hollowware. Purpose, function, and our normative understanding of beauty are placed on a new footing through experiments with materials and performative stagings. Socially relevant considerations and artistic references inform the objects’ designs and are an invitation to an entertaining yet recondite “tour de plasir” featuring some 150 works by 28 artists - proof once more of gold- and silversmithing’s controversial creative potential today.Text in English and German.The artists:Tobias Alm, Sawa Aso, Astrid Becksteiner- Rasche, Naama Bergman, Tobias Birgersson, Beatrice Brovia / Nicolas Cheng, David Clarke, Kanako Ebisawa, Ute Eitzenhöfer, Åsa Elmstam, Anne Fischer, Karolina Hägg, Nils Hint, Kateřina Jirsová, Junwon Jung, Anders Ljungberg, Kateřina Michálková, Myra Mimlitsch-Gray, Eija Mustonen, Markus Pollinger, Karen Pontoppidan, Anna Rikkinen, Hans Stofer, Vivi Touloumidi, Tarja Tuupanen, Luzia Vogt, Stella Wanisch, Jing Yang

Gabi Dziuba’s jewellery is stringent, laid-back, fragile, minimalist, glamorous, and progressive. Blister packs, coins, beans, or letters are turned into wilful creations. Collaboration with close artist associates is characteristic of her work, including those with Günther Förg, Hans-Jörg Mayer, Martin Kippenberger, Heimo Zobernig, Monika Baer, and Alexandra Bircken, whose works are included in this monograph. This highlights the openness of Dziuba’s artistic approach to new trend – Pop Art, Minimal Art, punk, fashion. A fascinating biography results in which the visual artist, musician, designer, and entrepreneur has freely experimented with the traditional assignment of roles since the 1970s.Gabi Dziuba & Friends is a vivid survey of her extraordinary working methods and the exhibition activities in her Berlin studio.Text in English and German.