Press Room

Organized by Fondation d’Entreprise Bernardaud, A Bit of Clay on the Skin: New Ceramic Jewelry Showcases Work of 18 Artists from around the World

New York, NY (January 18, 2011)

A Bit of Clay on the Skin: New Ceramic Jewelry, on view at the Museum of Arts and Design from March 15 through September 4, 2011, explores the manifold appeal of ceramics, especially porcelain, in jewelry. Organized by the Fondation d’Entreprise Bernardaud and curated by the renowned German-born goldsmith and jewelry artist Monika Brugger, the exhibition showcases the versatility and allure of the medium, which can be modeled or cast, used alone or with metal, wood, and stone, and vary in color and texture. Best known as the stuff of the luxurious and the mundane, of fine tableware and technical equipment, when used in jewelry, porcelain sparks the visual and physical sensations to become an object of desire.

Visitors will be captivated by the scope and ingenuity of the more than one hundred works on view. While some make reference to traditional jewelry in materials and symbolism, others altogether redefine it in substance, form, and matter. The work of 18 cutting-edge jewelry artists will be featured, including creations by such notables as Peter Hoogeboom, Evert Nijland, Ted Noten (The Netherlands), Gésine Hackenberg (Germany), Marie Pendariès (Spain), and Shu-Lin Wu (Taiwan).

“Even though the Egyptians produced seal rings in faience, and the Greeks and Romans gilded terracotta to imitate gold, the use of ceramics in the fabrication of jewelry was abandoned centuries ago,” says curator Monika Brugger. “Today many artists, like those assembled in this show, are popularizing porcelain as a compelling material for jewelry.”

“Ceramic jewelry embodies the creative transformation of a humble Earth material by art and industry into a wearable object of great refinement and sensuality,” notes MAD’s Jewelry Curator Ursula Ilse-Neuman. “Exploring new currents in art jewelry is a vital part of the Museum’s mission,” she continues. “We are delighted to present these visually and intellectually engaging works to a New York audience.”

THE FONDATION D’ENTREPRISE BERNARDAUD
Established in 2003 by Michel Bernardaud, the family-run company’s Chairman and CEO, the mission of the Fondation d’Entreprise Bernardaud is to promote a deeper public awareness of porcelain’s fascinating history and extraordinary qualities. The Fondation, located in Limoges, France, welcomes an international array of artists and designers who are invited to invent unexpected usages for porcelain. Through these innovative and technically challenging projects, the Fondation aims to give new value to a craft that favors the “wisdom of the hand.”

The Fondation annually hosts a summer exhibition in Limoges that showcases seminal projects by prolific contemporary ceramists. The exposition has become a fixture on the calendars of ceramic enthusiasts.

BERNARDAUD
A family owned-and-operated company founded in 1863, Bernardaud is the premier manufacturer of Limoges porcelain. Deeply rooted in the history and activity of that region, the company is highly regarded for its artistic, technical and innovative prowess.

Among French luxury brands it is a considered a trendsetter for objects that are characterized by original forms and stunning decorative embellishments, while globally the company is renowned for its commitment to the French traditions of impeccable craftsmanship, refinement, and creativity in the fabrication of porcelain objects. The vast range of its collections—tableware, jewelry and decorative interior objects---elegantly fuse design, art, and lifestyle.

ABOUT THE MUSEUM OF ARTS AND DESIGN
The Museum of Arts and Design explores what Chief Curator David R. McFadden calls “the blur zone between art, design, and craft today.” It focuses on contemporary creativity and the ways in which artists and designers from around the world transform materials through processes ranging from the artisanal to the digital. The Museum’s exhibition program examines and illuminates issues and ideas, highlights invention and craftsmanship, and celebrates the limitless potential of materials and techniques when used by gifted and innovative artists. MAD’s permanent collection is global in scope and focuses on art, craft, and design from 1950 to the present day. Central to the Museum’s mission is education. The Museum’s dynamic new facility features classrooms and studios for master classes, seminars, and workshops for students, families, and adults. Its Open Studios enable visitors to engage artists at work and further enhance exhibition programs. Lectures, films, performances, and symposia related to the Museum’s collection and topical subjects affecting the world of contemporary art, craft, and design are held in the building’s historic 144-seat auditorium.