Gerda Flöckinger CBE
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Exhibited several times at the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, as well as Goldsmith's Hall.
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There is a variety and richness to the elegant jewelry of Gerda Flöckinger. Using high carat gold, unusual stones, pearls and colored diamonds, she creates beautiful jewels that are both sculptural and majestic. A pioneer in every right, Flöckinger has reinvented – and continues to invent – fusion techniques on an elaborate and sophisticated level. Her meticulous control and intense emotional involvement with her work enable an impossibly fine balance between line, texture, metal and stone. Sensual, fluid, tactile, her jewelry gives immense pleasure to both wearer and viewer – an instinctive artist and consummate creator, she is passionately individual in all aspects of her creativity. She is the first living female to have an exhibition at the Victoria & Albert Museum in 1971 and had another exhibition at the V & A in 1986. In 1991, she was recognized by Queen Elizabeth for her contribution to the arts and was awarded the title of CBE. Her work – with its beautiful colored stones and rich and subtle textures – is now at its most integrated and refined. Always marked by its expressive freedom, her jewelry also has an extraordinary physical presence. It is her instinct and vision, her belief in visual enrichment of the highest order, which makes her such a remarkable artist.
Left: Cover of catalog to accompany 1986 exhibition of Gerda Flöckinger’s work at the Victoria & Albert Museum, London, United Kingdom.
Quotes
“Gerda Flöckinger’s work is a definitive statement of her individuality, but beyond that, it reflects a deep involvement, both emotional and intellectual, and a superb understanding of the true meaning and function of jewellery. In fact it was the advent of her jewellery that brought the debate on the question of whether jewellery could be ‘art’ once more into the foreground.” Barbara Cartlidge, Electrum Gallery
“Flöckinger’s establishment of an experimental course in jewellery at Hornsey College of Art in 1962 marked a watershed in the regeneration of jewellery design …. she proved to be an inspirational teacher …. her importance extends far beyond her influence on others, however, for her output is of the highest calibre both technically and aesthetically …. a unique contribution has been the development of new techniques using the controlled fusion of gold and silver … one of the finest jewellers of her time, Flöckinger has been both uniquely individual in her creative output and profoundly influential ….” Dr. Elisabeth Goring, The Royal Scottish Museum
“The first piece of contemporary jewellery commissioned by the Museum, a choice that recognised Gerda Flöckinger’s pre-eminence in the emerging alternative jewellery scene in London.” Clare Phillips, Victoria & Albert Museum
“Gerda Flöckinger is one of the key pioneers of the revival of jewellery making in this country. without her imagination, innovation and inspiration as an example much of what has followed may never have happened. She blazed a trail for the distinguished women jewellers who followed. With her we light the blue touch paper of a renaissance.” Sir Roy Strong, writer, historian, and former Director Victoria & Albert Museum
Selected Collections
- Bristol City Museum and Art Gallery, Bristol, UK
- Crafts Council, London, UK
- Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, MA
- Nottingham Castle Museum, Nottingham, UK
- Pompidou Centre, Paris, France
- Royal Museum, Edinburgh, Scotland
- Schmuckmuseum, Pforzheim, Germany
- Victoria and Albert Museum, London, UK
- Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths, London, UK
- Numerous private collections throughout the United States and internationally