From Jewellery to Contextual Art presents the work of the artist and professor Elisabeth Holder and showcases her unique evolution. Coming from a classical goldsmithing background, she placed jewellery in relation to ancient signs and the ornamentation that emerged from them, pursuing the examination of materials in the charged arena between mastery and dialogue, and posing the fundamental question of what jewellery is and can be. This led to a paradigm shift. Jewellery was recontextualised. Illustrated with examples from fields such as architecture and nature, it becomes clear that such jewellery forms are never excessive and are at once Contextual art.

Text in English and German.

Classical goldsmith’s training, including a master craftsperson’s diploma, was not enough for Elisabeth Holder (b. 1950). She graduated with a diploma in jewellery and design from the University of Applied Sciences in Düsseldorf and also a master’s degree from the Royal College of Art in London. Her time as a freelance jewellery designer in London was by then bound to teaching assignments and lectureships, the last being at the Royal College of Art. After her appointment as a professor of jewellery design at the Design Faculty of Düsseldorf University of Applied Sciences, her focus shifted to teaching and research. She gave up her teaching posts in 2017 and lives and works in Erkrath, near Düsseldorf.