AUCTIONS

Varnishing lecture : Look of a collector on contemporary jewelry

As part of the launch of the Paris Precious Week at the Espace Tajan, the jewellery department is organizing as an opening to the exposition, a conference entitled “Regard d’une collectionneuse sur le bijou contemporain” hosted by Solange Thierry de Saint Rapt. Emblematic figure of the Art world, editor-in-chief and director at “L’oeil” magazine, the collector will share her passion for jewels made by contemporary creators and her audacity to acquire but also wear “non traditional” jewels. A real initiatory course! This conference, which will be held on Thursday, June 15th at 7pm, echoes our jewellery auction on Wednesday, June 21th part of which will be completely dedicated to contemporary creators such as Marie Guerrier, Agathe Saint-Girons or John Moore.

 

 

“Regard d’une collectionneuse”

« From the 1960’s, the way we apprehend the contemporary jewel totally changes. This evolution or “revolution” is especially present abroad: England, Netherlands, Switzerland, and Germany. However, France still remains attached to the jewel that is a product of traditional materials. In Italy, golden jewelry stays very present with the school of Padoue; creators such as Giampaolo Babetto, Annamaria Zanella, Francesco Pavan and others knew how to transcend the precious substance based on geometry. In the 1970s, France knows a renewal in the approach of the contemporary jewel: the use of “poor” materials such as the altuglas, slate, rubber, stainless steel, iron, brass, shell, etc. bring a new look to the non conventional creations.

Throughout my professional life, I have been in contact with these creators and discovered a universe so different from the traditional jewels I wore daily. I became passionate for this field, so fascinating it is sometimes strange. Throughout exhibitions, tours of workshops or pioneer galleries I got slowly acquainted with these creations stemming from the imaginary of the artists. My first “non traditional” jewels were of modest dimensions: what interested me was the audacity and transgression regarding the traditional jewel.

I think it is necessary to highlight the fact that the transgression is much more difficult in France because we have a jeweler tradition of high level that is not as present in the other European countries. These creators themselves realize entirely their jewels: drawing, elaboration and conception in their workshops. Their jewels are usually unique pieces. I consider these jewelry creators as full artists. A large number of people I have met tell me they could never wear jewels like mine. But we do not wear voluminous or original jewels without an “initiatory” course. The encounters in workshops, the discussions around a new jewel, the freedom of imagination that I leave to the artist permits him to conceive jewels of bigger dimension and help with the orientation of the conception of my collection even if the choices I make are essentially crushes. I hope that the jewels gathered in this sale and selected with talent by Esther de Beaucé, creator of the gallery MiniMasterpiece reach to new collectors.

Let’s not forget it is one of the rare collections we can wear so why give it up !”

Solange Thierry de Saint Rapt

To download the invitation to the conference

Reserve your seat to the conference

Picture Captions: Necklace “Chained hearts” Frank Tjepkema (lot 481) –Pairs of drop earrings Ute Decker (lots 472 and 473) – Necklace Omega Madera Marie Guerrier (lot 467)