Boundaries of Silver Spaces
Polish jewellery from the second half of the 20th century
The exhibition “Borders of silver spaces” is an unique presentation of works from the private collection of Prof. Irena Huml – scholar, art historian, critic and researcher of Polish postwar crafts, collector. Exhibition presents over 300 objects: jewellery of the Polish postwar craft cooperatives (among other Imago Artis, Ormo, Warmet, Ryt) and active it those time artists-designers, both dead already as J. J. Zaremscy, J. Fajngold, M. Celmiński, H. Grünwald, as well as active to today, among others of Zaremskis brothers, Z.W. Kozubski, M. Nowaczyk, J. Byczewski, A. Boss, W. Rygało.
The inception and shape of the present collection is an effect of tangle of many pulses as well as emotional and physical situation, which have influence on the character and artistic expression of the collection. Beside the artistic and technical level of the presented objects the meaning of this exhibition is rely on the idea of showing really (not created by the artists and critics) image of the post-war jewellery. This kind of jewellery Polish women wore for several decades - from the late 40’s till the beginning of new millennium.
The collation of works done by individual artists with items coming from cooperatives, private workshops, and finally the state plants, is the first attempt to show this phenomenon in the panoramic perspective of years.
Perhaps this attempt will allow to expand horizons of researches not only in the context of art and craft, but also will pay attention to the socio-cultural aspects. It would allow to define the essence of the phenomenon of individuality of style od Polish jewellery from the second half of 20th century. If this aim can be achieved at least in part, the exhibition fulfill its role.
Irena Huml
Prof. Irena Huml - art historian and critic. The author of c.a. 500 studies, articles, reviews in numerous national and international magazines as well as introductions to exhibition catalogs. The author of books: Polish Applied Art of the 20th century (1978), Contemporary Polish Fiber (1989), Art of Object, Object of Art (2003); monograph of Cracow Workshops Association. Since her graduation from the Warsaw University she is linked with the Institute of Art, Polish Academy of Sciences in Warsaw. She leads doctoral seminars of the Interior Design and Crafts, which has defended a number of doctoral dissertations. She deals with among others: interior design and crafts. She belongs to the Association of Art Historians. Her collection of postwar jewellery is one of the biggest private collection in Poland.
For over thirty years Prof. Huml is connected with Legnica and Legnica’s presentations of artistic jewellery SILVER. She accompanies them in different roles: author of critical texts, the member of jury, the programme consultant, the moderator and a tutor of the session, the kind moralizer. For her activity for the Legnica culture and the city she was honoured with the most important honourable mention - with badge Person of merit for Legnica City.
