The exhibition features more than 100 examples of some of the most exciting and innovative silver creations to have been designed and made in Britain over the past 25 years, focusing on contemporary silver purchased or commissioned by the Company since 1980 and including the most recent additions to the collection such as two vases by Angela Cork and a stunning bowl by Clare Ransom.
All the great names of contemporary silversmithing are represented, including Gerald Benney, Robert Welch and Stuart Devlin who reached iconic status in their heyday and inspired the subsequent generation of artist-silversmiths such as Rod Kelly, Jane Short and Alex Brogden, who are also featured in the exhibition. In addition there are works by more recent silver stars among them Chris Knight, Toby Russell, David Clarke and Lucian Taylor.
The Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths, one of the Great Twelve Livery Companies of the City of London, received its Royal Charter in 1327, and is today one of the country's leading patrons of modern silver design. Its collection of modern silver, instigated in 1925, is now one of the most comprehensive collections of its kind in the world. There is no public gallery permanently dedicated to it so the only opportunity for the public to see the Collection is when it goes on tour.
The UK's reputation as the world leader in contemporary silver design, combined with the excellent metalwork courses to be found at colleges throughout the country has resulted in many talented young silversmiths coming to Britain to establish their careers. Silver by many of these is now included in the Goldsmiths' collection, among them Simone ten Hompel, Hiroshi Suzuki, Ane Christensen, Junko Mori and Sidsel Dorph Jensen, a number of whom are also represented in the collections and displays of the Fitzwilliam Museum.
Dr Julia Poole, Keeper of Applied Arts at The Fitzwilliam Museum, said "This splendid exhibition demonstrates the imagination and skill of contemporary silversmiths working in Britain, and the versatility of precious metals as media for objects designed for domestic or institutional settings. It complements admirably the Fitzwilliam's displays of contemporary silver, drawn from its permanent collections and from items on loan to the Museum, providing a context in which they may be even more widely appreciated."Â
Rosemary Ransome Wallis, Curator of the Collections at Goldsmiths' Hall, concludes "There are few opportunities for the public to see this world-famous contemporary collection in its entirety. In the setting of the Fitzwilliam Museum these exceptional works by today's creative silversmiths shine as modern decorative art and are truly 'Treasures of Today'"Â.
The exhibition is complemented by talks by practising silversmiths, courses and family workshops. The Treasures of Today exhibition is supported by Cambridge University Press; the related education programme is supported by Johnson Matthey. Silver items by many of the names featured in Treasures of Today will be for sale in the Museum's shop during the duration of the exhibition, which runs until 29 April. Admission to the exhibition is free. -- www.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk
Posted February 21st, 2007 by ruzik_tuzik
