Emmy Van Leersum

Bio

Emmy van Leersum (Netherlands 1930 - 1984), who trained at the Gerrit Rietveld Academie, Amsterdam (1958-1962) and Konstfack - University of Arts, Crafts and Design, Stockholm (1962-63), was a Dutch avant-garde jewellery and clothing designer whose work was last seen in her lifetime at the Jewelry International: Contemporary Trends exhibition in New York in 1984, organised by the American Craft Museum and curated by Helen Williams Drutt. She was married to the jeweller and industrial designer Gijs Bakker (b. 1942), with whom she also collaborated creatively. In 2014, the Stedelijk Museum presented The Gijs+Emmy Spectacle, Fashion and Jewelry Design by Gijs Bakker and Emmy van Leersum. The exhibition was based on a legendary fashion show presented by the artist duo in 1967.
/ Contemporary Art Society
 

Statement

Emmy's jewellery was not just decorative status symbols but independent works of art to be worn. She employed traditional materials like gold, plastics, and aluminium, often integrating them with fashion and clothing. Together with Gijs Bakker, their avant-garde innovations, which have now become part of history, continually pushed the boundaries with groundbreaking ideas. Her rebellion against the formal standards of 1960s modern jewellery earned her international recognition. Emmy van Leersum's designs, now seen throughout Europe, are magnificently articulated as they drape across the body, interact with clothing, or shift from one bold colour to another, elegantly framing the head and shoulders in fluid, graceful gestures.