Bejewelled
The RMIT Gallery in Melbourne hosted a dazzling exhibition of contemporary Italian jewellery, showcasing over 150 creations by 16 internationally acclaimed Italian goldsmiths.
From 17 June to 14 August, the Gioielli d’Autore, Padova e la Scuola dell’oro (Contemporary Jewellery, Padua and its Jewellery School) exhibition was shown in Australia for the first time.
The Padua Jewellery School is renowned for its extensive use of precious metals and has remained at the forefront of contemporary jewellery since the 1950s. Gioielli d’Autore, Padova e la Scuola dell’oro traces the history and the creative development of artists whose innovative jewellery designs and education philosophy led to the establishment of this iconic institution.
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Through experimentation with different metals and gemstones, styles and techniques have continued to evolve – initiated by the experimental goldsmithing movement in Padua that began in the 1950s.
During this time, Master jeweller Mario Pinton taught his students in a Renaissance workshop. These students went on to become highly esteemed teachers and artists, distinguishing themselves for their particular approach to design and its artistic philosophy and thus creating their own unique styles. In 1961, Francesco Pavan, one of Pinton’s pupils and collaborators, became the head of the gold-working laboratory of the Selvatico in Padua. His technical skill and intense experimentation led him to create refined surfaces, worked like woven fabrics that enhanced the various colours of cleverly combined metals to create bold and striking pieces.
Through this exhibition at RMIT Gallery, Padua pays tribute to these artists for transforming the city into an international point of reference for research into gold working and jewellery. Pieces by Giorgio Cecchetto, Lucia Davanzo, Maria Rosa Franzin, Stefano Marchetti, Paolo Marcolongo, Paolo Maurizio, Barbara Paganin, Renzo Pasquale, Piergiuliano Reveane, Marco Rigovacca, Graziano Visintin, Alberta Vita, Annamaria Zanella and Alberto Zorzi – all of whom are renowned artists of the Padua Jewellery School – are also displayed, with many items lent by major European museums.
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Organised with the support of the Italian Institute of Culture, this exhibition demonstrates how these artists made their innovative choices based on their research of materials, with the aim of reaching harmonious balance and purity of form.