Joaquim Capdevila. New jewellery in Barcelona

Joaquim Capdevila (b. 1944) is a master of the art of goldsmithing, whose understanding of how to meld traditional handcraft with contemporary jewellery avant-garde is second to none. At the same time, his roots, which lie in painting, are unmistakable, yet Capdevila does not just paint metal; his one-off jewellery pieces are rather the materialisation of a creative process in which metal and colour combine to become a completely new entity.
The Barcelona-based jewellery artist has created a unique oeuvre in some fifty years, which is now being presented in a 175-piece-strong review for the very first time. In addition, Pilar Vélez explores Capdevila’s artistic development and his role as a pioneer and major proponent of ‘New Jewellery’ in Europe.

Pilar Vélez is director of the Design Museum of Barcelona and member of the Sant Jordi Royal Catalan Fine Arts Academy and the Royal Academy of Belles-Lettres of Barcelona. She is particularly interested in the relationships between the decorative arts, the industrial arts and design and in the history of the cultural heritage and collecting in the nineteenth to twentieth centuries.

Joaquim Capdevila is represented in numerous museums worldwide, including the Schmuckmuseum Pforzheim (DE), Museum für Kunst und Gewerbe Hamburg (DE), MAK – Museum of Applied Arts / Contemporary Art, Vienna (AT), Musée Olympique, Lausanne (CH), Royal Museums of Scotland, Edinburgh (GB), Collection de la Ville de Cagnes-sur-Mer (FR), Col.lecció d’Art de l’Avui, Barcelona (ES), Museu de Montserrat (ES), Museu del Disseny de Barcelona (ES), Dallas Museum of Art, Rose-Asenbaum Collection (US).


Texts in English and Catalan