An Encounter by Tore Svensson & Francesco Pavan

Artist list

Francesco Pavan, Tore Svensson

To connoisseurs of the scene, the exhibition might at first appear unusual and surprising, and they would not be mistaken. Until the idea for the show arose, the two artists were not personally acquainted, though they did highly appreciate each other's work. This led to the planning of a common presentation. Pavan and Svensson share a great earnestness and stringency of approach, profound technical knowledge, and an inimitable idiom. Both have been teachers for a considerable period of time.

Francesco Pavan, from Padua, is known for his love of precious metals, especially gold, his fine craftsmanship, and a mastery of goldsmithing techniques on the most difficult level. His jewellery is straightforward, even mathematical in character, reduced and lucid in form. It reflects a lifelong concern with the themes of geometry, space and kinetics.

Tore Svensson began in the 1970s with the forging of bowls, then in the mid 1980s began to concentrate on working in iron and steel. Making bowls is a challenging, time-consuming task. As a result, the artist produces no more than a few pieces a year, hardly differing in terms of size and shape, and possessing a minimalism that evokes a spiritual dimension. When making jewellery, Svensson favors working in series that extend over several years. His more recent brooches have come to contain a narrative component.

The encounter staged at Galerie Handwerk serves to emphasize the essential traits of the two goldsmiths.

The exhibition can be shown to this extent thanks to the friendly cooperation of Die Neue Sammlung - The Design Museum München, Schmuckmuseum Pforzheim, an Italian private collection, Collection Heidi and Karl Bollmann and the galleries Rosemarie Jäger and Marzée.