Ra Gallery 40 years Cherished

Ra Gallery is forty years old this year. The gallery opened its doors for the first time in 1976, in the Lange Leidsedwarsstraat in Amsterdam. In 1983 the gallery moved to a modern, spacious abode in Vijzelstraat, and since 2010 it’s located in an intimate dwelling in the eldest part of the city: Nes 120 in the ‘Jewellery-Quarter-Amsterdam’. Ra Gallery shows mainly jewellery, both in temporary exhibitions and in the permanent collection. But objects are presented also, initially functional objects, and in the last few decennia mostly decorative objects made in silver.

Paul Derrez, founder, owner and face of Ra Gallery, represents about sixty artists from all over the world. When choosing the work he shows, innovative quality has always been his main guideline – that and his personal taste. Innovative quality can manifest itself in idea and concept, form, execution and technique and material usage. To be able to recruit work that meets his criteria, Derrez closely follows new developments in the field. Furthermore, he strives after continuity by keeping track of artists over a longer period of time. They regularly get the opportunity to show new work at exhibitions in the gallery or at trade fairs elsewhere. All this has contributed to Ra Gallery becoming a fixture in the world of art jewellery. New currents and trends were spotted and shown by Ra; talents were discovered and found a platform there. By organizing themed group exhibitions the gallery has explored the field of expertise, stimulated artists and sparked the interest of the public. Ra has collaborated with other galleries and cultural institutions on a regular basis. For those who love artist jewellery, Ra has remained a constant source of wonder and inspiration. In the forty yeas of its existence the gallery has acquired a committed audience of private individuals and national and international museums.

Visitors turned into customers, collectors even, and Ra is their trusted spot to get information, try on jewellery pieces and buy work. For themselves, a collection, and others. By impulse, out of enthusiasm, just because; to commemorate or celebrate a special occasion or symbolize and seal a union. In this book, a few of these customers give a brief insight, in their own words, into the reasons why a specific piece of jewellery or object, bought in Ra, struck them at first sight or became a dear and cherished object over time. / Extract from: Ra Gallery 40 years Cherished, Foreword by Paul Derrez