“A Talk with Terhi Tolvanen”, Contemporary Art Jewellery Maker

December 29, 2011 | No Comments

“Nature & Culture, Rough & Elegance, Raw & Modesty” the work of Terhi Tolvanen in a nutshell.This time I had the honour to have lunch with Terhi Tolvanen from Finland, working in France and easily speaking Dutch because she lived for eighteen years in Amsterdam where she still spends a lot of her time at her ‘Pied-a-terre’ and clearly feels at home!
After finishing her silversmithing study at the Lahti Design Institute in Finland Terhi planned to go for ‘one year’ to the Rietveld Academy of Art in Amsterdam. But stayed for six years connected to that academy, inclusive the Sandberg Institute for two years, and just ‘never left’. 
The Rietveld Academy of Art became a unique experience and a beautiful match to the technical and ‘metal’ background of Terhi. I asked her to what  ”it” was that had such an impact on her to decide to stay at the Rietveld Academy? Without any hesitation, she answered clearly ”The Dutch Thing”! Of course she then had to explain to me what she meant by that expression. With a smile on her face she easily clarified this by saying “the conceptual way of thinking in combination of feeling free, so free, so immensely free to make exactly that which you want to say. It took me one year to understand this way of thinking, but then I was fully caught by it”. The last two years at Sandberg Institute was the time where everything (skills, vision and interest) came together. It was exactly during that period she started to make jewellery. Her personal vision is identified by the concept which is based on the idea of the impact of culture on nature.

The same counts for brooches which can become sculptural, but still they have to fit the way I meant it. This implies that how to fix on clothe is one thing to think of very well”. Looking at her collection it’s easy to see and feel her Scandinavian background. The natural love for nature combined with an extraordinary feeling to express culture to the object in such a modest way is something that I adore.  Not only in her latest collection, but also in her former pieces. Like ’The ‘Picnic-branch brooch’, dating 2007, which is covered with a motive based on the pattern of the typical hand-towel & the feeling of a pizza baker and picnic-cloth at one time!Due to her craftsmen background I can assure you that objects fit in a lovely way, Amazing! Terhi let me try ‘Chaine Petite’. What a unique oppurtunity to wear a necklace made of pieces of branches set with gemstones and beautiful rough wooden links and clasp. Each and every link with finials of silver or other metal, that amazingly fits perfectly around my neck in one second and gives me the feeling of never wanting to leave me again. Personally I’m so touched by the immense eye and attention for detail accompanied by her amazing feeling for nature and culture influence. The way she works it out, so sturdy, rough and sensitive at the same time. Each and every detail worked out exactly the way it has to be. What a quality!

11 May untill 23 September 2012,Pieces will be on display at  Unchained, Jewelry without limits. Museum Bellerive, Zürich, Switzerland.
May 2012, “Collect” at Saatchi Gallery London, pieces will be on display at Galerie Rob Koudijs.
March 2013, Solo exhibition at Galerie Rob Koudijs, Amaterdam.
Terhi’s book recommendations:
‘Georg Dobler Schmuck Jewellery, 1980-2010′, €30, ISBN: 978-3-89790-330-2. Terhi recommends this book because of the impressive big gemstones which are used in his jewellery.‘Hanging Around, Manon van Kouswijk’, ISBN: 978-90-804085-5-5. “It’s a great research, a photo collection about ‘pearlschains’ in landscapes and other ‘pearl’ structures in the world as a basis to her own work” says Terhi.
‘Jewellery from Natural Materials’, by Beth Legg, ISBN: 978-07-136827-6-2. “Different jewellery makers for each material”.
And last but not least Terhi recommends the book ‘Dead or Alive’, MAD Museum NY, ISBN: 978-1-890385-20-0. ‘Although it’s not a jewellerybook it’s an absolute wanna have!’, it’s a book of artists whom’s sculptures and installations with natural materials. 

The museum recommendations by Terhi:
Kiasma, Museum of Modern Art, Helsinki, Finland.
Mineral Collection, Université Pierre et Marie Curie, Paris.
The Gulbékian Museum in Lissabon, of course because of the awesome René Lalique collection.
Tate Modern, London. Although there’s no jewellery it’s so beautiful!

This article is published with the courtesy of Terhi Tolvanen, 2011. 

Diamond light! Happy New Year!

December 28, 2011 | No Comments

This is where I’m looking for, starting a bright new year!

Happy New Year to all of you! And I hope to see you again at my blog in 2012.

‘Christmas ‘n Cookie Fair’ at The Lloyds Hotel, Amsterdam & Jewellery books!Arnoldsche Art Publishers

December 16, 2011 | 3 Comments

With the Christmas holiday in my mind I would like to make you aware of the beautiful jewellery book collection of Arnoldsche Art Publishers!
No matter which book you will choose, the quality is always of a very high level with the most amazing pictures and interesting text. So, with a present of them under your tree I ensure you that your holiday will be a good one!

Of course the newest book of Liesbeth den Besten ‘On Jewellery’, published by Arnoldsche, is an absolute must have! …and, lucky me…tomorrow I will have the honour to have a guided tour by Liesbeth, guest curator, at Unleashed!, at the museum for modern art Arnhem The Netherlands. Which will be on display until 5th February 2012.

The other event I will visit this weekend  is organised by The Steinbeisser & Cultural Embassy’s  ‘Christmas ‘n Cookie Fair’ at   ‘The Lloyds Hotel’ in Amsterdam, 17 + 18 december.

‘The Crown Jewels of Hollywood’, The collection of Elizabeth Taylor at Christie’s New York

December 4, 2011 | No Comments

‘Celebrating The Life and Legacy of Elizabeth Taylor’, this totally stunning jewellery collection will be for sale at Christie’s New York within a few days. Enjoy this immens beautiful jewellery collection which is devided in ‘The Legendary Jewels’ and ‘Jewelry’ at the Christie’s evening auctions. The profits will be for ‘The Elizabeth Taylor Aids Foundation’ in behalf of the American Foundation for Aids Research, so let’s hope the bids will go that night sky high!
Support the Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation, purchase your copy of Elizabeth Taylor’s previously out of print book ” My Love Affair with Jewelry’ & hardband version of ‘The Legendary Jewels; The Evening Sale’. The profits are for her AIDS  foundation.

This absolute magnificent jewellery collection of Elizabeth Taylor went on a global tour last months and will be on display before the sales will start at Christie’s Rockefeller Centre, 13th December in New York. Amongst the opening auction, ‘The Legendary Jewels’, will be the well known ‘La Peregrina a natural pearl’, diamond, ruby and cultured pearl necklace made by Cartier. For more historical information about the Peregrina pearl visit the Royal Magazine website. The Elizabeth Taylor collection includes many exclusive pieces of jewellery by Van Cleef & Arpels, Bulgari, JAR, Tiffany’s, Boucheron, Cartier and more. But within this collection there are also many more daily wearable, read ‘small’ or ‘subtile’,  pieces.  A joy for everyone who loved Elizabeth Taylor and her life long collected personal jewels.

Lisa Walker received Francoise van Den Bosch Award! Now at Exhibition the Cobra Museum!

October 30, 2011 | No Comments

My heartfelt congratulations to Lisa Walker of New Zealand for receiving the impressive Francoise van Den-Bosch award!
The award she lately received at the opening of her solo exhibition at the Cobra museum in Amstelveen, near Amsterdam (NL).
The exhibition shows a funny, colourful and refreshing collection of re-used materials made into assemblages made over the last year. A beautiful liaison to the Cobra museum, a true lovely match! The exhibition will be on display until 12th December 2011.
Pieces of Lisa Walker will also be on display at the exhibition ‘Jewellery Unleashed!’ at the MMKA in Arnhem, The Netherlands, from the 5th of November this year till the 5th of February 2012.
Right now there’s also an exhibition of Lisa Walker at Gallerie Ra, Amsterdam, till 26th November.

To give you a better impression of the work of Lisa Walker, just follow me to Fingers! 

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Margriet Sopers, FGA

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