With the exhibition "From Louise Bourgeois to Yoko Ono. Jewelry by Women Artists", the Museum of Applied Arts Cologne (MAKK) is presenting the first special exhibition in Germany dedicated exclusively to jewelry designs by female visual artists of the 20th and 21st centuries. Around 90 works by 45 internationally important female artists will be on display - including avant-garde icons such as Meret Oppenheim, Niki de Saint Phalle and Louise Bourgeois as well as contemporary voices such as Alicja Kwade and Yoko Ono.
The jewelry pieces range from the 1920s to the present day and show how female artists use creative materials, innovative forms and expressive design to translate their very own artistic vision into wearable objects. Formally, the spectrum ranges from reduced, minimalist-elegant aesthetics to expressive, sculptural pieces of jewelry to humorous, playful works. Jewelry can be understood as both a wearable statement and an art form.
The exhibition deliberately focuses on female perspectives and breaks with the traditionally male-dominated perception of avant-garde art jewelry. It thus builds on the success of the MAKK show "Fascination Jewelry. 7000 years of jewelry art".
