After focusing for 12 years on jewels by artists known for their painting or sculpting, Louisa Guinness has decided to expand and extend her business. She is delighted to announce the launch of "Louisa Guinness Treasures", a new corner of the gallery focusing on rare works by 20th century jewellers, with particular emphasis on 1960s and 1970s makers.
The debut Treasures Exhibition "The Jeweller as Artist: 1960-1980" presents beautifully made and designed unique works by some of the great innovators and visionaries of 20th century jewellery design including Andrew Grima, John Donald, Geoffrey Turk, Alan Gard, David Thomas, Leo de Vroomen and Kutchinsky. Though focusing foremost on signed, British, post-war jewellery, Treasures will also include some particularly fine unsigned jewellery of the period as well as rare costume jewellery by the likes of Yves Saint Laurent, Paco Rabanne, Christian Lacroix, Givenchy and Chanel.
"I have always found the instantly recognisable aesthetic of this period both fabulously appealing and astonishingly under represented" says Guinness, "I love the use of raw unfashioned stones and innovative settings. You find big chunks of crystal or semi-precious stones set into twisted pieces of gold and organic, textured forms which somehow perfectly work as rings, pendants, earrings and bracelets. These makers were true artists at the vanguard of the 20th century aesthetic revolution. Their works deserves both a re-evaluation and a position in any serious collection"
The 1961 exhibition at the Goldsmith's Hall 'International Exhibition of Modern Jewellery 1899-1961' was a turning point for both artist-jewellers and jeweller-artists. At a time when jewellery design had become staid, where a jewel's value was the sum total of its precious components, this exhibition challenged makers to push their creative limits. Andrew Grima for example, who subsequently became jeweller to the royal, rich and famous, became well-known as a result of this exhibition. More recently, 'Treasures of the 20th Century', an exhibition held in London's Goldsmith's Hall in 2000, collected the most impressive examples of this genre.
LG Treasures offers for sale unique, wearable and collectible jewels in an overlooked corner of the market. The collection is constantly evolving according to the most recent sales and acquisitions. So if you see it and like it you should act quickly because it might not be there next time.
Louisa Guinness Gallery continues to offer jewels made by artists, and will be presenting solo exhibitions of work by Niki de Saint Phalle and Alexander Calder later this year. Please enquire for further details.
PRESS CONTACT
cecily@louisaguinnessgallery.com
+ 44 (0)207 494 4664