Half way through my epic vacation, my travels have brought me to Amsterdam. I’ve found The Netherlands to be an amazing country, steeped in history, culture, and creativity. Straddling the past and the present, it seems like every corner has a plaque commemorating a historical even as well as a piece of contemporary public art. Amsterdam is also a special city because it’s home to three phenomenal jewelry galleries, Galerie Rob Koudijs, Galerie Louise Smit, and Galerie Ra. This week I’ll be visiting each of these contemporary art galleries, and will be posting images from each trip.
Last night I stopped into Galerie Ra, located east of the Dam at the bottom of Nes Street. Open since 1974, Galerie Ra specializes in contemporary jewelry, vessels, and objects. Galerie Ra also has an extensive collection of self published books, as well as catalogues from past shows and artists books.
It was great to get to see the tangible works of artists that I’ve admired for so long. I didn’t do a good job of taking photos while we were in the gallery, so I pulled a couple images off their online catalogue. I’ll be posting images from the other two galleries after I visit them, enjoy!
Julie Blyfield, brooches, patinated and painted silver.
Lisa Walker, Facet pendant, mixed media.
Ela Bauer, ring, Christal, lava, epoxy, bone, yarn, silver.
Galerie Ra interior.