MAK

Jewellery 1970–2015

14 Jan - 29 Mar 2015

Exhib ition view
JEWELLERY 1970–2015
Bollmann Collection
Fritz Maierhofer – Retrospective
14 January – 29 March 2015

The exhibition JEWELLERY 1970–2015: BOLLMANN COLLECTION. FRITZ MAIERHOFER – Retrospective actually comprises two parallel exhibitions. One provides an insight into the collection of Heidi and Karl Bollmann, the subject of which is contemporary jewellery. The works of some 206 international artists testify to the collectors’ huge interest in jewellery from all cultural regions. Pieces of jewellery from the USA, Mexico, Israel, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Korea, Vietnam, and China are on display alongside exhibits from nearly all European countries. The exhibition is divided into three time periods: from 1970 to 1999, 2000, and 2001 to 2015. The year 2000 is given particular emphasis because, as part of the project Jewellery at the Millennium, Karl Bollmann invited the most prominent international jewellery artists to create a piece of jewellery especially for his wife. The resulting works are presented to the public for the very first time in the context of this MAK exhibition.

The second section displays a chronological overview of the oeuvre—jewellery and sculptures—of Fritz Maierhofer, one of the leading jewellery artists in Austria. On display are works from the 1960s until the present day, which are characterized by unusual combinations of materials and an avant-garde understanding of jewellery. Maierhofer creates unique objects from acrylic glass, steel, tin, aluminum, and the synthetic material Corian. His large works bear witness to the artist’s aptitude for sculpture, as do the many jewellery designs that seem to translate the format of sculpture into a small scale.

Guest Curators: Heidi and Karl Bollmann, Fritz Maierhofer
MAK Curator: Elisabeth Schmuttermeier, Curator, MAK Metal Collection and Wiener Werkstätte Archive

The exhibition is accompanied by the catalog JEWELLERY 1970–2015: BOLLMANN COLLECTION, edited by Christoph Thun-Hohenstein and Elisabeth Schmuttermeier. With a foreword by Christoph Thun-Hohenstein and contributions by Karl Bollmann and Graziella Folchini Grassetto, German/English, hardcover, 144 pages, with ca. 120 color illustrations, MAK Vienna/Arnoldsche Verlagsanstalt, Stuttgart 2015.