ROOM OF WONDER II: WOUTERS & HENDRIX September 13th 2019 – February 16th 2020

Please do not touch the exhibited objects. Please return this exhibition guide after your visit. You can consult the brochure online at www.divaantwerp.be Thank you for understanding. ver the next few years DIVA is inviting extraordinary As guest curators at DIVA, Katrin and Karen set to work Oguest curators to present their interpretation of a ­intuitively. They chose artworks and objects that fire their ­Wunderkammer, a cabinet of curiosities and rarities, a Room of imagination and with scenographer Bob Verhelst at their Wonder. For the second exhibition in this series, the Antwerp side, they dug deep into their archive and selected items of jewellery designers Katrin Wouters and Karen Hendrix have jewellery that mirror Wouters & Hendrix’ 35-year history. In been given carte blanche to represent what surprises and their choices they allowed themselves to be led by a sense inspires them. of recognition: a tongue-in-cheek reference, materiality or a ­story that moves them. Wouters & Hendrix opted to 2019 is a key year for the creative duo, for the fanatic col- place their own pieces alongside objects with a similar or lectors are celebrating the 35th birthday of their jewellery ­­contrasting dynamic, thereby creating a tension that typifies label. Their cooperation began while they were studying their style. silversmithing at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp. ­Fascinated by each other’s work, in 1984 they brought out their first jewellery collection under the name ‘Wouters & Hendrix’. Their creative idealism has since led them to design jewellery that marries production in series with hand-made articles. As subtle rebels with a partiality for surrealism, they are attracted by unexpected combinations of materials and techniques. In their jewellery they merge artisanship with ­poetic stories. By transforming precious metals and ­mundane objects into wearable sculptures, their creations take on a surprising and surreal character.

2 3 PALAZZO

Gold: the subtle game

Found in riverbeds like a gift from the earth, gold may have been the first metal people laid their hands on. Too soft to be of use as a tool, but ideal for jewellery because of its warm colour and glow. Rare, and so costly. Sacred for both the ­ancient Egyptians and the Incas. Symbol of wealth and power for rulers and religions. Non-reactive with oxygen and conse- quently the most precious metal on earth.

In Wouters & Hendrix’ hands, gold takes on a poetic quality.­ Hammered into human forms, cast to replicate nature, brought to live through lamination. Subtle and timeless and with a hint of tongue in cheek. In 2007 they created their first gold collection and 18 carats have been a constant ever since.

Immersed in a gold sheen, their jewellery conducts a dialogue with subversive art, surrealist symbolism and outstanding craftsmanship.

5 (1) Michel François (Sint-Truiden, °1956) The ‘Toi & Moi Ring’ is the showpiece of (12) Wouters & Hendrix (20) Man Ray (Philadelphia, 1890– Pringles et cacahuètes, 2002 ­Wouters & Hendrix’ ‘The Bright Necessities’ Holiday, brooch, 2014 Paris, 1976) bronze collection. Two organically shaped rings gilded copper, papier-mâché La Jolie, necklace, 1970 Edgar le Chat collection Wouters & Hendrix collection form the base for precious diamonds. Four gold Louisa Guinness Gallery collection slate pencils emerge from the rings like arms, (2) Wouters & Hendrix (13) Lucio Fontana (Rosario, 1899– elevating the diamonds so that the light has Le Temps Perdu, Chapters Ring, 2002 Varese, 1968) (21) Wouters & Hendrix gilded silver free play and the diamonds achieve maximum Concetto spaziale, cuff, 1962–67 Liquid Shapes, necklace, 2010 Wouters & Hendrix collection brilliance and lustre. The fanciful form of gold silver, gilded silver the rings and the settings contrasts with the Didier and Martine Haspeslagh collection, Wouters & Hendrix collection Didier Ltd Chains are by definition flowing andflexible. ­ perfection of the magnificent diamonds.(JV) ­Curious as to what happens when they are (22) Wouters & Hendrix (14) watch set with pearls in a robbed of their freedom of movement, (7) medallion with a flower bouquet in relief, Liquid Shapes, necklace, 2010 radial-shaped pattern Wouters & Hendrix fixed seven linked chains ca. 1860 silver, gilded silver Bautte et Moynier, Geneva, 1826–31 Wouters & Hendrix collection gold, pearls in solid rings which together tell a story. gold, pearls, steel City of Antwerp collection, Smidt van Gelder Hence the name, ‘­Chapters Ring’. Each of RMAH collection, inv. 8244 collection, inv. Sm.0607 (23) Untitled, glove, ca. 1986 the rings symbolizes a milestone for the iron wire, music score, varnish (15) Wouters & Hendrix wearer and together the rings constitute a (8) knotted ribbon or love knot brooch, Private collection Bob Verhelst collection of wearable memories. (JV) ca. 1860 New Beginnings, bracelet, 2000 gold gold, turquoise (24) Oxana Shachko (Khmelnytsky, 1987– Wouters & Hendrix collection (3) pair of scorpion brooches, ca. 1880 City of Antwerp collection, Smidt van Gelder Paris, 2018) collection, inv. Sm.0610 gold, diamond, enamel, green decorative stones Untitled (Archangel St. Michael), 2014–16 (presumably emerald) (16) Wouters & Hendrix tempera and gold leaf on wood City of Antwerp collection, Smidt van Gelder (9) pendant with citrine in a pearl rim, New Beginnings, ring, 2000 signed: ox collection, inv. Sm.0608.01 and Sm.0608.02 ca. 1870–90 gold Courtesy of the Estate Oxana Shachko / Wouters & Hendrix collection Geukens & De Vil Gallery gold, citrine, pearls (4) James Abbe (Alfred, 1883– City of Antwerp collection, Smidt van Gelder San Francisco, 1973) collection, inv. Sm.1249 (17) David Bielander (Basel, °1968) Wouters & Hendrix chose this work because The Dolly Sisters, Paris sans voiles, 1923 Paper Bag, 2016 of the skilful way it combines aesthetics, reproduction (10) Wouters & Hendrix silver and white gold craftsmanship and social criticism. It bears David Bielander collection James Abbe Archive, 2019 Sexy Rebels, Midnight Children and Anarchist the signature of the Ukrainian feminist Vamps, choker, 2001 and artist Oksana Shachko. As a young girl (5) Wouters & Hendrix silver (18) Freddy, model Grigri collectie, 2000 The Kuba Ballroom, earrings, 2009 Wouters & Hendrix collection taxidermied bird from an orthodox Christian­ family, she was Wouters & Hendrix collection silver captivated by religious art and she learned Wouters & Hendrix collection (11) Meret Oppenheim (Berlin, 1913– to make icons at a reputable iconography Basel, 1985) (19) Bob Verhelst (Anvers, °1956) school. She painted frescos in orthodox (6) Wouters & Hendrix ring with sugar cube, 1936–37 design; Untitled, 2018 churches, but gradually she became disillu- The Bright Necessities, Toi & Moi Ring, 2009 2003 made by Ortrun Heinrich copper sheet, cardboard Private collection Bob Verhelst sioned with the Church. Devotion made way gold, diamond gilded silver, sugar cube for action when as a student of philosophy Wouters & Hendrix collection Den Bosch Design Museum collection, inv. S2003.050 she gained insight into causes like social inequality, corruption and freedom of ex- pression. In 2008 Shachko and two fellow

6 7 students founded the feminist protest group lips set with rubies, a melting diamond watch, (31) Wouters & Hendrix (36) Ann Veronica Janssens FEMEN. They demonstrated against the etc. Dali was looking to shift the emphasis Canale Grande, earrings, 2017 (Folkstone, °1956) sexual exploitation of women and sex tour- from the monetary value of precious stones gold, malachite, freshwater pearl Groove, 2013 Wouters & Hendrix collection ism in Ukraine. Their daring activism drew to design and craftsmanship. His designs blue anodised aluminium Galerie Ronny Van de Velde collection attention around the world, but also threats were executed in the workshop of goldsmiths (32) Wouters & Hendrix and intimidation. In 2013 Shachko fled to Alemany & Ertman in New York, where Dali Canale Grande, earrings, 2017 (37) medallion with diamond pattern, Paris, where she was given political asylum would supervise the team of craftsmen and gold, malachite, emerald ca. 1880 and her feminism found artistic expression. choose the precious stones. He was fascinat- Wouters & Hendrix collection gold, glass, enamel, pearls, ruby, diamond She returned to painting icons, still accord- ed by alchemy and gold held a great attrac- City of Antwerp collection, Smidt van Gelder (33) Wouters & Hendrix collection, inv. Sm.0584 ing to the traditional rules with tempera, egg tion for him, not as a symbol of wealth but as a Le Temps Perdu, Chapters Ring, 2002 yolk and gold leaf on wooden panels, but celebration of the soul, a sign of purity. He de- gold (38) medallion with checkered pattern, now with unorthodox content. She turned scribed how his soul would be immortalized Wouters & Hendrix collection 1880–1900 pious devotional icons into provocative thanks to the gold concealed in his hypercon- gold, glass, enamel, turquoise scenes of protest. Her provocations, which sciousness: “I make gold by transcending my (34) Wouters & Hendrix City of Antwerp collection, Smidt van Gelder collection, inv. Sm.0585 hit back at a suffocating and restrictive innards through hyperconsciousness.” The Bright Necessities, ring, 2009 gold, diamond religious society, took the form of delicate Wouters & Hendrix admire the way the Wouters & Hendrix collection (39) watch with swan design, 1799–1815 works which are both powerful and vulnera- artist applied his symbolic visual language gold, enamel, diamond ble. Like the artist herself: in July 2018, at the to jewellery. He created a new world that While travelling in Italy, Wouters & Hendrix RMAH collection, inv. 2828 age of thirty-one, she took her own life. (RC) fires the imagination and accommodates came across a craftsman specialized in pro- private fantasies. For Dali his ‘telephone ear cessing diamonds inspired by archetypal (40) ladies watch presumably Au Nègre, 1905 (25) Wouters & Hendrix clips’ connoted the speed of modern means and antique jewellery. The classic millegrain New Beginnings, bracelet, 2000 gold, enamel, glass, pearl, metal of communication and the danger of the technique, which is used here as a setting for City of Antwerp collection, Smidt van Gelder gilded silver instantaneous exchange of thoughts. He the little diamonds in the rosettes, contrasts collection, inv. Sm.1242.A Wouters & Hendrix collection translated that visionary notion into a mag- with the fanciful, organic ring on which the (41) Wouters & Hendrix (26) Wouters & Hendrix nificent piece of jewellery.(RC) head is mounted. Of French origin, the Limited Edition for 25th Anniversary, Sins & Senses, necklace, 2001 word millegrain means ‘a thousand grains’, ­necklace, 2009 gilded copper (28) Wouters & Hendrix for the tiny, precious metal parts, which Wouters & Hendrix collection The Tell-Tale Heart, necklace, 1993 silver are soldered to the base of the jewel and in Wouters & Hendrix collection silver, copper Wouters & Hendrix collection which the diamonds are set, resemble rows (27) Salvador Dali (Figueres, 1904–1989) of grain. This time-consuming technique (42) demi-parure in case La persistencia del sonido, earrings, (29) Wouters & Hendrix gives the piece a delicate appearance. The Jean Michel Anthony, Antwerp, 1832–61 New York, 1949 Sins & Senses, necklace, 2001 ring’s ­rhodium-plated gold background sets gold, enamel gold, emerald, ruby and diamond DIVA collection, inv. S2013/46 and S2014/1 signed and marked: Cop. Alemany & Ertman Inc. gilded silver off and further enhances the diamonds. Wouters & Hendrix collection Didier and Martine Haspeslagh, Didier Ltd ­Wouters & Hendrix love to play with con- collection Goldsmith and jeweller Jean Michel trasts and frequently do so in their work. (JV) (30) music box with key (backside) Anthony (1788–1862) was based in the Besides flamboyant paintings, the surrealist Jean-Georges Rémond et Cie, Geneva, Pelgrimstraat in ­Antwerp from ca. 1822 to (35) Philip Aguirre y Otegui (Schoten, °1961) artist Salvador Dali also created fanciful 1805–15 ca. 1860–61 and from 1834 in the Au Pelerin gold, copper, enamel, pearl, metal, brass Rue de la Joie, 2017 items of jewellery. They are all imbued with City of Antwerp collection, Smidt van Gelder oil paint and screen print on wood building in Maarlderijstraat near the Grote symbolism: a heart made up of honeycombs, collection, inv. Sm.1243.1-2/2-2 Liesje Vandenbroeck Collection Markt. This demi-parure by Anthony­ has

8 9 been preserved in its original case with the (48) Wouters & Hendrix Wonder. For them the ‘Zip’ represents a high (54) Wouters & Hendrix initials “V.L.” printed in gold. The necklace Rêves de Rêves, necklace, 2019 point of crafts­manship and creativity in haute Stones for Wilma, ring, 1990 with a double series of chains, a so-called silver, gilded copper, freshwater pearl joaillerie. (RC) gilded tin, copper Wouters & Hendrix collection Wouters & Hendrix collection collier d’esclavage, and the earrings in gold filigree are finished with thin, cut-out pieces (52) Eckart Von Sydow (Poland, 1885– (49) Wouters & Hendrix Berlin, 1942) (55) Man Ray (Philadelphia, 1890– of metal known as paillons and ornamented Cabinet Voltaire, necklace, 2008 Die Kunst der Naturvölker und der Vorzeit, Paris, 1976) with enamel appliqués. This type of bijoux silver, crystal Fisherman Idol, 1975 Wouters & Hendrix collection 1925 flamands work was produced in our region patinated bronze paper ex. 168/1000 both in the Dutch ­period and after 1830 Private collection, Antwerp and exported to Zeelandic Flanders. Similar (50) Wouters & Hendrix Private collection, Antwerp Too Many Husbands, Too Little Jewelry, items of jewellery were made in France at the (53) Wouters & Hendrix ­earrings, 2016 (56) Meret Oppenheim (Berlin, 1913– time of the consulate and the empire and so Stones for Wilma, earrings, 1990 gilded silver Basel, 1985) date from between 1799 and 1814. (WN) Wouters & Hendrix collection gilded pewter, copper Wouters & Hendrix collection Traccia, Italy, made in 2007 gilt bronze, wood, gold leaf (43) Xavier Somers (Bruges, °1970) (51) Van Cleef & Arpels At the end of the 1980s, Wouters & Hendrix produced by Simon International as part of the Walker proj. 17, 2018 Zip, necklace, Paris, 1952 ‘Ultramobile 1971’ collection were bowled over by the sheer power of the Wouters & Hendrix collection mixed media, coral, LED platinum, gold, emerald, diamond Wouters & Hendrix collection Van Cleef & Arpels collection ‘Großes Weltbild’ painting made by the East-German artist A.R. Penck in 1965. His When Wouters & Hendrix visited the ‘Sur­ (44) Wouters & Hendrix One of Van Cleef & Arpels’ most spectacular aesthetic is reminiscent of primitive rock real Things’ exhibition at the Victoria & The Bright Necessities, necklace, 2009 avant-garde creations is the ‘Zip’ necklace, paintings of human figures and symbols. ­Albert ­Museum in London in 2007, they gold, diamond, coral Inspired by Penck’s crude style, Wouters & Wouters & Hendrix collection a master­piece of ingenuity and superb found themselves face to face with a table ­design. The zip fastener was first used for Hendrix set about kneading wax models by which seemed to have been made for them. (45) Meret Oppenheim (Berlin, 1913– aviator jackets and ­sailors’ uniforms before hand for their ‘Stones for Wilma’ collection. Bronze bird legs supported a gilt tabletop Basel, 1985) being appropriated by high society­ in the The rudimentary forms bearing the duo’s with claw imprints. They were struck by the Untitled, gloves with vein motif, 1942 1930s. It was then that the Duchess of ­fingerprints were then cast in pewter and poetry of the piece and of course it remind- ­design; 1985 made by Ortrun Heinrich ­Windsor suggested to Renée Puissant, the brass. The resulting tactile and imperfect ed them of the bird claws that were already goat leather, dye, yarn silkscreen Maison’s artistic director, that this marvel pieces called to mind jewellery from pre- part of their jewellery collections. The table Den Bosch Design Museum, inv. S2003.057 of technology might inspire a piece of history. So the title ‘Stones for Wilma’ is a would be perfect in the shop selling their playful nod to the wife of the animated sit- (46) Wouters & Hendrix ­jewellery. Eventually created in 1950, the gold collections which would be opening a Marcasite Marks!, bracelet, 2007 ‘Zip’ can be worn open as a necklace, or it com character Fred Flintstone. The contrast few months later. A search ensued. gilded silver can be zipped up and turned into a bracelet. between the rough finish and the refined The original table was made in 1939 after Wouters & Hendrix collection Highly characteristic of the couture theme appeal of the jewellery proved a triumph and a design­ by Meret Oppenheim. Following dear to Van Cleef & Arpels, this piece of ‘Stones for Wilma’ marked an important a passionate affair with Max Ernst in 1934, (47) Wouters & Hendrix jewellery epitomizes the Maison’s interest milestone in the Wouters & Hendrix part- the bird ­motif played a role in her autobio- Too Many Husbands, Too Little Jewelry, in flexible, ­multi-purpose objects. It was nership. The international press was quick graphical paintings. The table was exhibited brooch, 2016 to pick up on the collection and it graced the gilded silver that ­combination of adaptability and cou- at the Drouin ­Gallery on the Place Vendôme Wouters & Hendrix collection ture aesthetic that attracted Wouters & covers of the French ‘ELLE’ and the Dutch along with a ­Corset Chair by Leonor Fini, Hendrix to this exotic jewel and the reason ‘Avenue’. (RC/JV) a Lips sofa by ­Salvador Dali and other they dreamt of exhibiting it in their Room of items. ­Oppenheim’s table was purchased

10 11 by a private collector, but in 1971 the Italian value when combined with precious stones fashion photographs are iconic and many follows the shape of the wrist, including company Simon International brought out and freshwater pearls and thus perfectly a Parisian avant-garde artist posed for his the protruding bone. For the designers the a modified version. Instead of thirteen foot- represents the unexpected combination of camera. Among them was Marcel Duchamp bracelet symbolizes their creative process: prints on an oval tabletop, the Italian version materials and techniques that has become a who he portrayed as a woman, and in 1933 the initial element of surprise leads them featured two imprints on a round tabletop. Wouters & Hendrix hallmark. And the chick- he photographed the young artist Meret into a world that is often a far cry from jewel- A number of other editions followed and so en poults? Their offspring are still happily ­Oppenheim naked. As an octogenarian, lery design. They view the inspiration from it was that Wouters­ & Hendrix managed to scratching around in Katrin’s garden. (RC/JV) Man Ray began to create jewellery, ­working different angles by ‘sketching’ with metal at acquire one. They also went on to discover with the Italian goldsmith GianCarlo their workbench and allowing the materials the rest of ­Oppenheim’s ambivalent oeuvre, (59) Wouters & Hendrix ­Montebello who had executed the jewellery to speak. As they experiment, their artistic which explores themes like metamorphoses, The Bare Necessities, ring, 2004 designs of a number of visual artists since signature invariably comes to the surface, the female identity and the conflict between gold, freshwater pearl 1967, including Pol Bury, Lucio Fontana and sometimes organically, sometimes after Wouters & Hendrix collection nature and culture. (RC) Niki de Saint Phalle. Man Ray asked Mon- dogged perseverance until the eureka mo- tebello to make a robust and stylish pair of ment is reached. Travelling the well-trodden (60) Wouters & Hendrix (57) Wouters & Hendrix New Beginnings, ring, 2000 glasses for him to wear while bowling along path is not in Wouters & Hendrix’ DNA New Beginnings, brooch, 2000 gold, garnet in his cabriolet. When those glasses broke, and, even after 35 years, their sights are still gold Wouters & Hendrix collection (JV) Wouters & Hendrix collection the photographer designed a gold eye mask. trained on the future. Creative design and craftsmanship merged (61) Pol Bury (Haine-Saint-Pierre, 1922– (58) Wouters & Hendrix in a sculptural form with tiny perforations for (65) Wouters & Hendrix Grigri, earrings, 2000 Paris, 2005) the eyes providing vision as perfect as with a The Heritage of Lady Jacqueline, ring, 2011 700 Points Blancs, 1970 gold, garnet pair of glasses. (RC) gilded silver Wouters & Hendrix collection wood (oak veneer, plywood, softboard), nylon Wouters & Hendrix collection thread, stain, wax and white paint, electro- mechanical parts (motor, electricity cable) (63) Wouters & Hendrix (66) medallion with star motif, West Europe, Are they crow’s feet or magpie claws clasp- KMSKA collection, inv. 3180 A Wild Original!, bracelet, 2018 ing the sparkling gemstones in this piece? silver ca. 1860 In 2000 Wouters & Hendrix made several Wouters & Hendrix collection gold, silver, enamel, diamond (62) Man Ray (Philadelphia, 1890– DIVA collection, DMK01/2 fruitless attempts­ to find a bird’s foot to Paris, 1976) (64) Wouters & Hendrix integrate into a collection. After neither a Optic Topic, mask, Milan, 1974 design; New Beginnings, bracelet, 2000 (67) Wouters & Hendrix poulterer’s nor a natural history museum was 1978 execution gold The Collection Curators, necklace, 2017 silver gilt and brown suede able to help, Katrin’s mother presented them Wouters & Hendrix collection silver, gilded copper, ceramic 25/ 100 executed by GEM – Montebello Wouters & Hendrix collection with a box of chicken poults with a message (MR-M-000004) saying that one should be sacrificed for the Louisa Guinness Gallery collection Wouters & Hendrix have a rare appreciation impression of a foot. However, the designers’ of objects that have no intrinsic value or (68) Grayson Perry (Chelmsford, °1960) love of animals proved too great and they Wouters & Hendrix are intrigued by this immediate association with jewellery design. Beautiful Murderers dying of Aids, opted instead to pay a visit to a taxidermist. silver-gilt mask, which conjures up the op- For example, at the end of the 1990s, they London, 1998 earthenware, red-firing clay, slip, transfers The impression of a foot of one of his stuffed ulence and ­extravagance of a masked ball. developed an interest in orthopaedic aids Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam collection, birds became the prototype for the ­Wouters The perforated eye holes give it an air of mys- such as shoulder and thumb braces. Inspired inv. 1999.1.0198 & Hendrix claw that first appeared in the sil- tery. Behind the mask is the surrealist and by the ingenuity of these seemingly simple ver collection and later became an icon in the Dadaist artist Man Ray, who painted, made supports, in 2000 they designed the cuff Wouters & Hendrix were immediately taken ‘Grigri’ gold collection. The foot is a pow- sculptures and directed films, but he is best armband ‘Embrace’ which became a brand by the work of the British artist Grayson erful symbol that acquires refine­ment and known for his innovative photography. His icon. Hammered in silver or gold, ‘Embrace’ ­Perry when they first came across it twenty

12 13 years ago and that artistic coup de foudre has (71) reliquary with Latin inscription, never left them. His vases are hand-built and end 17th or beginning 18th century beautifully glazed. Though reminiscent of gilded copper RMAH collection, inv. G.2420 antique vases in terms of formal aesthetics, on closer inspection we see that they are (72) Wouters & Hendrix charged with bold social commentary. The Healing Jewelry, brooch, 1991 artist paints, stamps, prints and etches gilded tin surprising and explicit collages on colourful Wouters & Hendrix collection earthenware. Aborted foetuses, swastikas (73) Wouters & Hendrix and sadomasochistic pornography alternate Healing Jewelry, brooch, 1991 with open stock images of idyllic landscapes, gilded tin Christian iconography and floral motifs. Wouters & Hendrix collection ­Perry creates an uncomfortable clash between form and content and confronts (74) Wouters & Hendrix us with embarrassing antitheses. His work Healing Jewelry, brooch, 1991 contains many autobiographical elements, gilded tin Wouters & Hendrix collection including ­depictions of himself as ‘Claire’, his female alter-ego. Wouters & Hendrix are (75) Wouters & Hendrix charmed by the authenticity of the artist and Healing Jewelry, brooch, 1991 his work. Perry makes his labour-intensive gilded tin vases entirely by hand in a small studio in Wouters & Hendrix collection London. His medium, the combination of ce- ramics and cross-dressing, is his response to the contemporary art world. When Perry was presented with the prestigious British visual art prize in 2003, dressed in a frilly, purple frock, he exclaimed: “It’s about time a trans- vestite potter won the Turner Prize.” (RC)

(69) devotion frame with pigeon and angels, Europe, 1900–60 paper, wood, metal MAS collection, inv. MFA.1963.034.001

(70) Wouters & Hendrix Blurring Boundaries, necklace, 2013 gilded copper, silver Wouters & Hendrix collection

14 ANTECHAMBER

Finds: beauty is all around

Wouters & Hendrix often derive their aesthetic from com- monplace objects and memories. Flea markets have been favourite hunting grounds for years because of the sheer ­diversity of treasures they throw up. The design duo approach collecting with an open mind, buying what attracts them, without thought for its value, just so long as it inspires. In their workshop these finds are repurposed and given new meanings.

While modern and contemporary art challenges them to push boundaries, their creations also regularly reference the collage and assemblage art of surrealist and Dadaist artists. Wouters & Hendrix­ create jewellery with a story to tell by intu- itively amalgamating ­disparate parts and adding elements. These stories can be read, but not literally. The potential for abstract interpretation is important, as are cohesion, composition and wearability. As jewellery designers they give everything that inspires them a precious touch, worth, value.

Shown in the habitat in which it was inspired and created, their distinctive signature is given greater power of expression.

17 (1) René Heyvaert (Ghent, 1929– (9) Wouters & Hendrix (21–22) Wouters & Hendrix (33) crown from a statue of saints and Scheldewindeke, 1984) Carnival of Emotions, ring, 2003 Olympics, earrings, 1987 ­decorated with hearts, Europe, Untitled, 1982–83 silver, mother of pearl, garnet, coral brass powder-coated 19th century Union Match boxes, aluminium, glue Wouters & Hendrix collection Wouters & Hendrix collection wood, metal, cord, yarn, bead, textile Courtesy of the René Heyvaert estate and MAS collection, inv. AF.06234 CLEARING (10) Wouters & Hendrix (23) dessert bowl with fruit and flowers, Carnival of Emotions, necklace, 2003 1750–99 (34) crown from a statue of saints, Europe, (2) Wouters & Hendrix silver, garnet, coral, mother of pearl porcelain, enamel 19th century Les Désirs de Désirée, earrings, 1993 Wouters & Hendrix collection City of Antwerp collection, Smidt van Gelder metal, glass, textile collection, inv. Sm.1794 silver-plated tin, brass MAS collection, inv. AF.07599 Wouters & Hendrix collection (11) Daniel von Weinberger (Antwerp, °1950) (24) medallion with a miniature of an eye necklace, 2008 (35) crown from a statue of saints and (3) Wouters & Hendrix plastic toys, cotton brush ­surrounded by flowers ­decorated with hearts, pearls and floral Special Edition, brooch, 2017 Daniel von Weinberger collection RMAH collectlion, inv. G.1266 patterns, Europe, 19th century silver, copper wood, metal, cord, yarn, bead, textile Wouters & Hendrix collection (12) Finger Monsters, toy, McPhee, ca. 2000 (25) Wouters & Hendrix MAS collection, inv. VM.2009.107.727 rubber Les Couleurs Impériales, necklace, 2005 (4) Marjan Van den Berghe (Turnhout, °1962) Wouters & Hendrix collection silver, apatite, turquoise, coral, carnelian, enamel, (36) Evan Holloway (La Mirada (USA), °1967) Neus van snot, 2018 copper, mother of pearl Perch For An Invisible Bird, 2012 Wouters & Hendrix collection ceramic (13) Wouters & Hendrix bronze, oil glaze Wouters & Hendrix collection The Spinned House, necklace, 2005 Private collection silver, freshwater pearls, ceramic, bone (26–28) Wouters & Hendrix Wouters & Hendrix collection Holiday, brooch, 2016 (5) tea cup with yellow background and bird, (37) Wouters & Hendrix gilded brass Carnival of Emotions, brooch, 2003 with matching saucer, 1750–99 Wouters & Hendrix collection porcelain (14) pipe in case silver, labradorite, garnet, coral, City of Antwerp collection, Smidt van Gelder Blumfeld’s Best Briars, Successor Adolph mother-of-pearl, pearl collection, inv. Sm.1216.01 and Sm.1216.02 Frankau & C° Ltd, Birmingham, 1912 (29) pair of candlesticks, one with male head Wouters & Hendrix collection root wood, silver, amber, leather, plastic and one with female head, 1750–99 porcelain, marble, metal (6) Wouters & Hendrix DIVA collection, inv. S5382 Wouters & Hendrix are as much storytellers City of Antwerp collection, Smidt van Gelder Forget The Lady with The Bracelet, collection, inv. Sm.0642.01 and Sm.0642.02 as they are jewellery designers. From the bracelet, 1995 (15) Wouters & Hendrix outset the duo collected historical jewels leather, tin, brass, pearls, paper, crystal, The Bare Necessities, bracelet, 2004 (30) statue of a seated woman, 1750–99 for their sentimental value and the mem- Wouters & Hendrix collection snakeskin, buckle porcelain, metal ories attached­ to them. Jewellery bearing Wouters & Hendrix collection City of Antwerp collection, Smidt van Gelder ­romantic inscriptions inspired them to (7) Wouters & Hendrix collection, inv. Sm.0419.1-2 and Sm.0419.2-2 Sins & Senses, bracelet, 1994 (16) Wouters & Hendrix dream up love stories about the former owners of those pieces of jewellery. For this tin, silver, carnelian, paper I Love to Run, Garden and Crochet, (31) snuff box with flowers, 1750–99 Wouters & Hendrix collection bracelet, 2001 silver, gold, copper, enamel brooch from the ‘Carnival of Emotions’ fabric City of Antwerp collection, Smidt van Gelder collection, they put together an assortment (8) Wouters & Hendrix Wouters & Hendrix collection collection, inv. Sm.0501 of objects – a key, a coin, an engraved medal- I Don’t Need You But I Want You, lion, scrolls and birds’ feet cast in silver – and (17–20) Wouters & Hendrix (32) Wouters & Hendrix earrings, 2013 fused them together with a pearl, coral, gilded copper, freshwater pearl, lapis lazuli, Olympics, brooch, 1987 A Wild Original!, earrings, 2018 malachite powder-coated brass silver, crystal, corundum ­labradorite and garnet. The assemblage rep- Wouters & Hendrix collection Wouters & Hendrix collection Wouters & Hendrix collection resents a jumble of memories, a rebus that

18 19 the wearer can read and interpret for herself. (46) Wouters & Hendrix (62) toilet box with matching lid and tray, (71) Aarich Jespers (Antwerp, °1972) Wouters & Hendrix’ jewellery collages are Les Désirs de Désirée, bracelet, 1993 1750–99 Vliegenconcert, 2013 like an unfinished book; the wearer’s own burnished copper glass, enamel video, 4'41" Wouters & Hendrix collection City of Antwerp collection, Smidt van Gelder Aarich Jespers collection memories and emotions provide her with the collection, inv. Sm.0576.01.1-2/2-2 and material to write the next chapter. (RC/JV) Sm.0576.03 (47) Wouters & Hendrix In 2013 Aarich Jespers had flies compose Les Désirs de Désirée, bracelet, 1993 music. He assembled a string quartet but (63) Wouters & Hendrix (38) Wouters & Hendrix silver-plated copper instead of having the musicians play from Les Couleurs Impériales, earrings, 2005 Wouters & Hendrix collection Once Upon a Time, ring, 2003 silver, cameo sheet music, they played the movement of silver, carnelian, mother of pearl, agate, vintage Wouters & Hendrix collection ornament, enamel (48) Wouters & Hendrix flies on a stave. The stave and the flies were Wouters & Hendrix collection The Tell-Tale Heart, choker, 1993 contained in a glass box and they served (64) Wouters & Hendrix silver-plated brass as the score. The flying notes played by Wouters & Hendrix collection Once Upon a Time, ring, 2003 (39) Wouters & Hendrix the musicians resulted in a unique concert, silver, cameo Ancient Silver, bracelets, 1987 (49) Wouters & Hendrix Wouters & Hendrix collection an experience that stayed with Wouters & gilded tin, copper ­Hendrix. They appreciate the Antwerp art- Wouters & Hendrix collection The Tell-Tale Heart, bracelet, 1993 silver-plated brass (65) Wouters & Hendrix ist’s sense of humour, his nonconformist and Wouters & Hendrix collection Playfully Precious, necklace, 2015 creative thinking and the unorthodox view (40) Wouters & Hendrix gilded silver, copper, perspex he takes of their work. They have already Rêves de Rêves, earrings, 2019 (50–55) Wouters & Hendrix Wouters & Hendrix collection collaborated with him on a number of occa- gilded silver La Fête des Bêtes, earrings, 1991 Wouters & Hendrix collection silver-plated tin, brass (66) Wouters & Hendrix sions and believe they share a certain poetry Wouters & Hendrix collection Playfully Precious, necklace, 2015 and sensitivity. For the jewellery brand’s (41–42) Wouters & Hendrix gilded silver, copper, perspex twenty-fifth birthday, he created a wheel of The Super Collection, brooch, 1988 (55) Marjan Van den Berghe Wouters & Hendrix collection fortune which determined the fate of their silver-plated tin, copper (Turnhout, °1962) ­window-shoppers in a light-hearted way. He Wouters & Hendrix collection Cold Lips, 2018 (67) convulsion paternoster, ca. 1800 and Tom Hautekiet turned the W&H shop- ceramic silver, brass, malachite, fossil rock, coral, Wouters & Hendrix collection mother of pearl, wood, textile, mole foot ping bag into a dual purpose object. The (43) Wouters & Hendrix DIVA collection, inv. S1422 paper bag could be unfolded and opened up The Bare Necessities, earrings, 2004 (56) Philip Aguirre y Otegui (Schoten, °1961) into a cycle route with recipes and a cross- silver, smoky quartz (68) Wouters & Hendrix Wouters & Hendrix collection Untitled, 2002 word puzzle. Jespers’ creativity­ is expressed ceramic Le Temps Perdu, necklace, 2002 in a variety of disciplines. He combined his Private collection Katrin Wouters gilded silver, silver (44) Wouters & Hendrix Wouters & Hendrix collection visual arts studies with a course at the Jazz Memoirs of an Urban Cameleon, (57–60) Wouters & Hendrix ­Studio in Antwerp and at the same time he necklace, 2004 Atmosphere of Tenderness, (69) Walter Swennen (Brussels, °1946) played the drums with the band Zita Swoon. silver, aluminium bracelet, 2000 Toeternitoe, 2007 He made several video and music installa- Wouters & Hendrix collection silver, wool gouache on paper tions and composed music for theatre pro- Wouters & Hendrix collection Paul and Katrien Lannoy-Mattelaer collection ductions. At the moment he and his ­Colorist (45) Wouters & Hendrix Orchestra are rearranging the oeuvre of Memoirs of an Urban Cameleon, (61) Wouters & Hendrix (70) Wouters & Hendrix earrings, 2004 Sigarenkistje voor 20ste verjaardag, 2004 Zouzou, necklace, 2014 invited singer-song­writers like Emiliana silver, mother of pearl, crystal assortment of jewellery, wood, paper amber, resin, mother of pearl ­Torrini and ­Gabriel Rios. (RC) Wouters & Hendrix collection Wouters & Hendrix collection Wouters & Hendrix collection

20 21 (72) Bernd Lohaus (Düsseldorf, 1940– (82) ring with checker-board pattern, Antwerp, 2010) ca. 1900 Untitled, 1967 gold, ruby, diamond wood, rope City of Antwerp collection, Smidt van Gelder Private collection Philippe Piessens collection, inv. Sm.0601

(73) Wouters & Hendrix (83) ring with relief décor, early 19th century Une Collection Clandestine, earrings, 1989 gold, silver, diamond, enamel City of Antwerp collection, Smidt van Gelder gilded brass collection, inv. Sm.0602 Wouters & Hendrix collection

(74) Wouters & Hendrix The Hammered Collection, earrings, 1985 gilded copper Wouters & Hendrix collection

(75) pair of light blue vases with a red dragon, presumably 18th century porcelain City of Antwerp collection, Smidt van Gelder collection, inv. Sm.tw.0003.01 and Sm.tw.0003.02

(76) medallion with miniature Spencer Gervase, London, 1715–63 RMAH collection, inv. MI.103

(77) Torah-yad, Graudenz, 1878–96 silver, wood DIVA collection, inv. S2008/25

(78) medallion with a miniature of a young man, 1680 painted on parchment RMAH collection, inv. MI.129

(79) medallion with a miniature of a man gilded silver, red copper, enamel RMAH collection, inv. MI.56

(80) medallion with a miniature RMAH collection, no number

(81) medallion with a miniature RMAH collection, no number

22 ROOM WITH A VIEW

Silver: the playful experiment

The Latin name for silver is ‘luna’, referring to the moon. This asso­ciation originated with the ancient Egyptians who represented gold as a circle because of its perfection. Silver took the form of a semi-circle because it comes closest to the perfection of gold. The white precious metal also symbolized creativity, flexibility andemotional ­ intelligence. A number of civilizations regarded it as a sacred material linked to purity and healing powers.

Lighter and not as soft as gold, but better able to reflect light, silver can shine brightly. For Wouters & Hendrix this is not always necessary. They appreciate tactility, imperfection and experimentation and silver gives them that freedom. In their silver collections sophisticated romanticism co-exists with patinated punk and polished brutalism. Their silver creations link together memories.

A humorous and historical curtain opens to reveal unexpect- ed associations and new meanings.

25 (1) besamim tower who creates the light of the fire” – is recited silver imitations and fakes soon came into ­programme on the BBC in the evenings and Sigmund Zyto, London, 1922–23 over the light of a braided Havdalah candle. circulation. (WN) regularly visited record shops in ­Antwerp silver Finally, the candle is held over a plate and and London. It is the energy and creativity of DIVA collection, inv. S4638 extinguished with a dash of wine. (7) Wouters & Hendrix that period that regularly put in an appear- No binding rules dictate the shape of I Love to Run, Garden and Crochet, ance in their collections. The chain necklace (2) besamim tower, Germany, after 1888 bracelet, 2001 silver these spice holders so they take a variety from ‘The Mark Inside’ collection com- silver, gilded silver DIVA collection, inv. S4637 of forms. Tower-shaped,­ filigree versions bines heavy and finer chains, imaginatively Wouters & Hendrix collection were particularly popular outside the ­attached to each other with safety pins to (3) besamim tower, Tula, Russia, 19th century ­Netherlands. They appeared in Germany create a distinctive yet refined ornament.(JV) (8) Wouters & Hendrix silver as far back as the sixteenth century and Jewish Historical Museum collection, inv. M000104 I Love to Run, Garden and Crochet, were produced on a larger scale in the nine- bracelet, 2001 (13) Adolphe Acker, Georges Mouton, teenth century. silver ­Benjamin Péret, Remedios Varo and (4) besamim tower, Germany, 1850–1900 Wouters & Hendrix collection Flora Acker silver Dessins Communiqués. La table, la bougie et Jewish Historical Museum collection, inv. M000167 (6) windmill cup maker with dog, Northern Netherlands, (9) Wouters & Hendrix la ­voiture, 1937–39 paper (5) 17th century­ (?) & Anthoni Lepies, The Mark Inside, bracelet, 2015 besamim tower, presumably Germany, Galerie 1900-2000 collection 19th century ­Antwerp, 1688–89 silver-plated copper Wouters & Hendrix collection silver silver Jewish Historical Museum collection, inv. M000145 DIVA collection – Pierre Lunden bequest, inv. S75/4 (14) Wouters & Hendrix (10) Wouters & Hendrix Cadavre Exquis, brooch, 2019 Some fourteen years ago, Wouters & The Ghent engraver Charles Onghena I Love to Run, Garden and Crochet, silver, copper, freshwater pearl necklace, 2001 Wouters & Hendrix collection ­Hendrix came across tower-like objects (1806–86) owned three windmill cups, silver in a book about Jewish culture. They were including a silver mounted, façon de Venise Wouters & Hendrix collection (15) Wouters & Hendrix drawn to the architectural qualities of those windmill cup and also this silver version Cadavre Exquis, earrings, 2019 objects, but also to the variations in their inscribed “MDCCV” (1705). It is a marriage (11) Wouters & Hendrix silver, copper, freshwater pearl ornamental execution. They recognized or compilation of a miniature post mill by an The Mark Inside, necklace, 2015 Wouters & Hendrix collection several silversmithing techniques which they unidentified maker and a cup by the Antwerp silver-plated copper also use as jewellery makers. The ritualistic silversmith Anthoni­ Lepies (1647–1736). Wouters & Hendrix collection (16) Wouters & Hendrix Cadavre Exquis, ring, 2019 function of the silver objects aroused their Windmill cups were introduced to the Low (12) Wouters & Hendrix silver, freshwater pearl curiosity too. ­Countries as a drinking game back in the six- The Mark Inside, chain, 2015 Wouters & Hendrix collection The besamim, the spices which play a teenth century. In his Bacchus Wonder-wercken silver-plated copper role in the Havdalah ceremony that marks published in 1628, Dirck Pietersz. Pers Wouters & Hendrix collection (17) Wouters & Hendrix the end of the Sabbath, are stored in these (1581–1659) described how they work: “Een Cadavre Exquis, earrings, 2019 holders. The ceremony involves the recital Meulen die men blaest, en niet versetten magh. / Wouters & Hendrix have a particular affec- silver, copper, freshwater pearl of a number of blessings, the first over a full Of daer men nae ’t getal de uren weet te tellen, / Of tion for the punk period. They got to know Wouters & Hendrix collection cup of kosher wine and the second over the soo de teerlinck loopt, sijn na-gebuur te quellen, / the music in their teens and borrowed from (18) Wouters & Hendrix sweet-smelling besamim, which the partic- Het zy op acht of thien, of so de uren staen / So vele the library every record they could lay their The Further Apart, The Tighter The Knot, ipants inhale to prolong the joy of the Sab- worter mee aen elck bescheyd gedaen.” Windmill hands on, including The Clash’s debut LP. bracelet, 2009 bath. The third blessing – “Blessed are you, cups were so sought after in the nineteenth Both were constantly on the lookout for silver Lord, our God, sovereign of the universe, century that demand exceeded supply and new groups, listened to John Peel’s radio Wouters & Hendrix collection

26 27 (19) Wouters & Hendrix (21) hair jewel with a pearl rim, presumably (29) Wouters & Hendrix (38) Wouters & Hendrix The Further Apart, The Tighter The Knot, 19th century The Kuba Ballroom, bracelet, 2009 New Beginnings, brooch, 2000 earrings, 2009 pearls, hair silver, crystal, vintage ornament silver silver RMAH collection, inv. G.2231 Wouters & Hendrix collection Wouters & Hendrix collection Wouters & Hendrix collection

(22) hair jewel with decorative rim, (30) part of a fitting dummy, Novita Bruxelles, (39) Wouters & Hendrix Traditional, time-honoured silversmithing ­presumably 19th century ca. 1950 New Beginnings, brooch, 2000 techniques that are in danger of being lost pearls, hair wood, metal silver Stad Antwerpen collection, inv. ZNR.0726 hold a special fascination for Wouters & RMAH collection, inv. G.2232 Wouters & Hendrix collection Hendrix and those techniques are given (31) crocheted dress, 2000 (40) Wouters & Hendrix a contemporary twist in their collections. (23) commemorative medallion, Great Britain, 1780–1850 silver New Beginnings, choker, 2000 For instance, at a jewellery trade fair in Italy, Wouters & Hendrix collection silver, gold, diamond, glass, hair silver the Antwerp duo came across a craftsman DIVA collection, DMK93/3 Wouters & Hendrix collection who specialized in filigree work for wedding (32) Wouters & Hendrix A New Vocabulary, choker, 1998 ­jewellery for the North-African market. (24) Oscar Jespers (Antwerp, 1887– (41) Wouters & Hendrix silver The Collection Curators, earrings, 2017 Filigree is a decorative technique which has Brussels, 1970) Wouters & Hendrix collection been used in Egypt and Mesopotamia­ since Perle fine, 1925 silver, gilded copper, freshwater pearl, red jasper Wouters & Hendrix collection bronze, black patina 2500 BC. Originally very thin, smooth, (33) capsule with bird, 2014 FIBAC, Antwerp (Berchem) collection twisted or beaded wires were soldered to a aluminium, silver, brass, bird (42) Leo Dohmen (Antwerp, 1929–1999) Wouters & Hendrix collection surface in intricate spiral, foliate or lattice- L’ambitieuse, 1958 (25) Wouters & Hendrix work patterns.­ In the seventeenth century original black and white photo, vintage silver print The Heritage of Lady Jacqueline, (34) Wouters & Hendrix filigree gradually became an art form in its signature inscription ‘pour l’ami Benoit cette necklace, 2011 Liquid Shapes, bracelet, 2010 own right. Typically several threads were “ambitieuse” de 1960 Leo Dohmen’ silver, copper, pyrite, wood, onyx silver Michel Vandenkerckhove collection soldered together into an openwork design Wouters & Hendrix collection Wouters & Hendrix collection resembling lace. In the 1830s, filigree jew- (43) Wouters & Hendrix ellery was popular in Western Europe. In (26) egg-shaped box, 1800–50 (35) Wouters & Hendrix Switching Identity, necklace, 1999 particular, the technique was honed by silver- silver, coquilla nut New Beginnings, bracelet, 2000 silver, mother of pearl, enamel smiths in Portugal, Zeelandic Flanders and DIVA collection, inv. S5379 silver Wouters & Hendrix collection Wouters & Hendrix collection North Africa. For their 2009 ‘The Further (27) Marcel Duchamp (Blainville-Crevon, Apart, The Tighter The Knot’ collection, (44) Marcel Mariën (Antwerp, 1920– ­ 1887 – Neuilly-sur-Seine, 1968) (36) Wouters & Hendrix Wouters & Hendrix combined traditional Brussels, 1993) De ou Marcel Duchamp ou Rose Sélavy New Beginnings, bracelet, 2000 L’Introuvable, one-lens glasses frame, 1937 filigree archetypes with their own filigree (la Boîte), Paris 1941 – New York 1961 silver ­(replica 2013) designs and came up with highly original Wouters & Hendrix collection ­(replica 2016) glass, perspex combinations. (RC/JV) light green box in cardboard with 68 miniature Ronny Van de Velde Gallery collection replicas in black/white and colour (37) Wouters & Hendrix Galerie Ronny Van de Velde collection New Beginnings, bracelet, 2000 (20) brooch, Europe, 1790–1800 For Wouters & Hendrix ‘L’Introuvable’ or gold, glass, enamel, pearls, hair silver Wouters & Hendrix collection ‘The Untraceable’­ is an important surre- DIVA collection, S87/122 (28) Wouters & Hendrix alist symbol. The simplicity of the artwork The Kuba Ballroom, bracelet, 2009 silver, crystal, vintage ornament speaks volumes. Marcel Mariën transformed Wouters & Hendrix collection the broken frame of a pair of glasses into a

28 29 pointless object and René Magritte gave it its (53) Wouters & Hendrix were also given to family and friends or kept (70) Niki de Saint Phalle (Neuilly-sur-Seine, name. They met in 1937 after the 17-year-old Switching Identity, earrings, 1999 as mementos of the ­deceased. (RC) 1930 – La Jolla, 2002) Mariën sent the celebrated Belgian­ artist an silver, enamel necklace assembly, 1974; Wouters & Hendrix collection admiring letter. The young man was soon (58) medallion with a miniature of a veiled completed in 2015 taken into the group of Belgian surrealists of woman’s face, ca. 1800 gold, enamel (54) Wouters & Hendrix Louisa Guinness Gallery collection which the poet Paul Nougé was one. Mariën ivory, glass Switching Identity, earrings, 1999 RMAH collection, inv. G.1251 made collages and directed and produced silver, enamel (71) Wouters & Hendrix Wouters & Hendrix collection the scandalous film ‘L’imitation du cinéma’. (59) medallion with a miniature of an eye Technofossils 2.0., earrings, 2018 He wrote essays and monographs and pub- ivory, glass gilded silver lished several magazines about surrealism. (55) Wouters & Hendrix RMAH collection, inv. G.1276 Wouters & Hendrix collection Switching Identity, earrings, 1999 That artistic trend grew out of Dadaism and silver, mother of pearl (72) Wouters & Hendrix was originally a literary movement. There (60) medallion with a miniature of a male ear, Wouters & Hendrix collection ­1799–1815 Technofossils 2.0., earrings, 2018 are a number of recognizable principles gold, ivory, glass gilded copper, freshwater pearl in the many manifestations of surrealism. (56) Monika Brugger (Germany, °1958) RMAH collection, inv. G.1264 Wouters & Hendrix collection For example, objects were often taken out Inséparable, 1999–2002 linen, silk thread, steel pin of context, thereby creating a sense of un- (61) Wouters & Hendrix (73) Wouters & Hendrix Centre national des arts plastiques collection, Playfully Precious, earrings, 2015 canniness, or the combination of different inv. FNAC 05-669 (1 à 4) Marie D’Anniell, necklace, 1994 worlds provokes a shock reaction. Wouters copper, tin, enamel gilded silver, garnet Wouters & Hendrix collection Wouters & Hendrix collection & ­Hendrix love the humorous and ironic (57) medallion with an eye surrounded by ­allusions that characterize the surrealist clouds, 1799–1815 (62) Wouters & Hendrix (74) Wouters & Hendrix ­cultural movement. Its transformation gold, ivory RMAH collection, inv. G.1212 Marie D’Anniell, necklace, 1994 Playfully Precious, earrings, 2015 ­concept also challenges them during the copper, tin, enamel, glass, shell gold plated silver, tiger eye design process. They often give classic jew- Wouters & Hendrix collection Wouters & Hendrix collection The Etruscans are known to have produced ellery forms a surprising twist, engendering jewellery adorned with a miniature eye, but a (75) Alexander Calder (Lawnton, 1898– new ­interpretations. (RC) (63) Wouters & Hendrix royal love story started a craze for eye minia- Marie D’Anniell, necklace, 1994 New York, 1976) tures or ‘lovers’ eyes’ which lasted from 1790 copper, tin, enamel, glass Le Grand Cirque, 1927 (45–50) Wouters & Hendrix to 1820. When in 1784 the Prince of Wales Wouters & Hendrix collection video, 45' I Love to Run, Garden and Crochet, (later George IV) fell in love with a widow he Les Archives Jean Painlevé / Les Docs ­bracelet, 2001 was unable to marry legally because she was (64–69) Wouters & Hendrix cotton Marie D’Anniell, earrings, 1994 (76) Wouters & Hendrix Wouters & Hendrix collection a Roman Catholic, he sent her a miniature 64 silver, copper, shell, enamel The Kuba Ballroom, bracelet, 2009 portrait of his eye set in a piece of jewellery. 65–66 silver, copper, enamel silver, rock crystal, mother of pearl (51) Wouters & Hendrix This romantic but discrete gift allowed her 67 silver, brass, enamel Wouters & Hendrix collection Switching Identity, earrings, 1999 a glimpse of his soul without making his 68 silver, copper, enamel, mother of pearl 69 silver, copper, tin, mica, paper gold plated silver, enamel (77) Wouters & Hendrix identity public. Many couples followed his Wouters & Hendrix collection Wouters & Hendrix collection example. The portraits were painted on A Wild Original!, ring, 2018 ivory, quite often by notable portraitists and silver (52) Wouters & Hendrix Wouters & Hendrix collection they decorated rings, brooches, bracelets Switching Identity, earrings, 1999 silver and even snuffboxes. They were usually com- Wouters & Hendrix collection missioned as romantic keepsakes, but they

30 31 (78) Wouters & Hendrix (87) Wouters & Hendrix with various styles, including cubism and on May 7th 1942: a wolf’s head above the let- A Wild Original!, ring, 2018 Cabinet of Curiosities, ring, 2011 futurism, but the ideas of Dadaism never left ter W. Nine signatures were engraved inside silver, gilded silver silver, enamel him. ­Joostens was an idiosyncratic and indi- the lid: signatures of four members of the Wouters & Hendrix collection Wouters & Hendrix collection vidualistic character and in 1920 he began to Wolfers family, including Max (1859–1953), distance himself from ­Antwerp’s avant-garde and that of (Arthur) Omer De Waegh, Henri (79) Wouters & Hendrix (88) Wouters & Hendrix A Wild Original!, ring, 2018 Zouzou, ring, 2014 milieu. As well as photo collages, between Hadler, August Wynants, Jean Baptiste gilded silver gilded silver, ox-bone 1921 and 1925 he also created Dadaist as- Burniaux and A. ­Brokaert. Wynants was the Wouters & Hendrix collection Wouters & Hendrix collection semblages using a whole variety of materials bookkeeper from 1895 to 1945, De Waegh and objects, such as matches, sponge, wire, (°1897) worked in the models and drawing (80) Wouters & Hendrix (89) Wouters & Hendrix cardboard and paper. Assemblage art has atelier from 1917–18 and Burniaux was the La Belle Héritière, ring, 2006 Zouzou, ring, 2014 been an important source of inspiration for manager of the Wolfers jewellery atelier from silver, copper gilded silver, onyx, mother of pearl Wouters & Hendrix for years and they are 1889. There is still no clear explanation as to Wouters & Hendrix collection Wouters & Hendrix collection particularly drawn to this pioneering compo- why this silver witness of the Second World sition of throwaway materials. They love the War was made. Marcel Wolfers (1886–1976), (81) Wouters & Hendrix (90) Wouters & Hendrix La Belle Héritière, ring, 2006 Zouzou, ring, 2014 fragile quality of non-precious materials and who rewrote the family history in 1942, had silver, copper silver, white onyx, red jasper integrate that susceptibility into their designs. the box in his possession until his death. (WN) Wouters & Hendrix collection Wouters & Hendrix collection The imperfect has always played an impor- tant role in their work, though in the early days (93) Wouters & Hendrix (82) four occasional spoons Saint Peter’s (91) Paul Joostens (Antwerp, 1889–1960) that approach was not always understood by Too Many Husbands, Too Little Jewelry, Guild Bruges Object – Collage, 1922 the polished jewellery sector. However, it set brooch, 2016 Delheid Frères, Brussels, 1900–42 assemblage of painted wood, metal, gauze, them apart and struck a sympathetic chord silver, crystal silver coloured paper, cardboard and a Wouters & Hendrix collection DIVA collection, inv. S95/31a-d mother-of-pearl bead with many women. This fondness for tactility Flemish Community collection, in storage at and artisanship is still one of the underlying RMFAB, inv. 6885 Inspired by the suggestive romance in the (83) Wouters & Hendrix principles of their jewellery label today. (RC) Cabinet of Curiosities, ring, 2011 film ‘In the Mood for Love’ by the Chinese silver, onyx, mother of pearl During the First World War, certain artists director Wong Kar-Wai, in 2016 Wouters (92) cigar box Bd 55 Solweig Wouters & Hendrix collection reacted vehemently to the meaninglessness & Hendrix designed a collection which Wolfers Frères, Brussels, 1942 of the modern world and the hypocrisy of they named ‘Too many husbands, too little silver (835‰), wood (84) Wouters & Hendrix bourgeois culture. They ridiculed what was King Baudouin Foundation collection, on loan to jewelry’. The sultry, sensual and charged Cabinet of Curiosities, ring, 2011 happening in art at the time and created new DIVA, inv. B512/14 atmosphere of the film was the starting point silver, lapis lazuli, onyx, malachite, mother of pearl Wouters & Hendrix collection art to replace the old, for example by trans- for the collection, the story of a woman’s forming everyday objects into art objects. In The cigar box Bd 55 is part of the ‘Solweig’ unpredictability, sensuality and suppressed (85) Wouters & Hendrix 1916 this counter current known as Dadaism series, of which DIVA has a drawing bearing desires. The enlarged lips of the brooch with Cabinet of Curiosities, ring, 2011 began to spread from Zürich, but in fact it was the numbers Bd 54, 57 and 63. On top of the the blood-red crystal suggest her ­longing. silver, agate, mother of pearl already recognizable in Marcel Duchamp’s lid a divided heraldic shield engraved with1. a Skilfully raised silver makes every kiss unique. Wouters & Hendrix collection 1913 ‘Bicycle wheel on a stool’. In 1919 the silver wolf in gold; 2. black, and the dates The excessive proportions of the lips in- ­Belgian artist Paul Joostens discovered “28 JUIN 1941 – 16 JUIN 1942”. The piece was trigue and recall the famous ‘Lips Sofa’ creat- (86) Wouters & Hendrix Dadaism in Paris. After following a tradi- struck with the maker’s mark of three five- ed in 1938 by surrealist artist Salvador Dali’s Cabinet of Curiosities, ring, 2011 silver, onyx, malachite tional course of study at the Royal Academy point stars contained in a triangle. Wolfers’ whose inspiration was the prominent, full Wouters & Hendrix collection of Fine Arts in Antwerp, he ­experimented new barrel-shaped mark was only registered lips of the provocative filmstar Mae West.(JV)

32 33 (94) Wouters & Hendrix (99) Wouters & Hendrix (104) Fausto Melotti (Rovereto, 1901– (113) Wouters & Hendrix for Dirk Van Saene Now Feast Your Eyes on Vintage Tears, Cabinet Voltaire, brooch, 2008 Milan, 1986) brooches, 1990 ­earrings, 1999 silver De dans, 1972 copper, tin silver, gilded silver, garnet Wouters & Hendrix collection gilded brass, plexi Wouters & Hendrix collection Wouters & Hendrix collection KMSKA collection, inv. 3124 (100) Wouters & Hendrix (114) Wouters & Hendrix for (95) Wouters & Hendrix The Kuba Ballroom, earrings, 2009 (105) Wouters & Hendrix Walter Van ­Beirendonck Cabinet of Curiosities, necklace, 2011 silver, crystal Now Feast Your Eyes on Vintage Tears, medal brooches, 1988 silver, mother of pearl Wouters & Hendrix collection choker, 1999 aluminium Wouters & Hendrix collection Wouters & Hendrix collection silver (101) Wouters & Hendrix Wouters & Hendrix collection (96) Wouters & Hendrix Liquid Shapes, brooch, 2010 (115) Wouters & Hendrix for Dries Van Noten silver Cabinet of Curiosities, necklace, 2011 (106) Wouters & Hendrix arm piece, 2000 Wouters & Hendrix collection silver, enamel Now Feast Your Eyes on Vintage Tears, silver, elastic Wouters & Hendrix collection Dries Van Noten collection ­necklace, 1999 (102) Wouters & Hendrix silver (97) Wouters & Hendrix Cabinet of Curiosities, ring, 2011 Wouters & Hendrix collection (116) Wouters & Hendrix for Dries Van Noten Happiness, necklace, 2012 silver pin, 1989 gilded silver, garnet Wouters & Hendrix collection copper, tin, blue crystal (107) Wouters & Hendrix collection Wouters & Hendrix Dries Van Noten collection The Collection Curators, necklace, 2017 (103) Leo Dohmen (Antwerp, 1929–1999) silver, copper, freshwater pearl (98) Wouters & Hendrix Le Printemps, 1957 (117) Wouters & Hendrix for Dries Van Noten Wouters & Hendrix collection New Beginnings, chain, 2000 assembly, bark, hair brooch, 2000 gold Galerie Ronny Van de Velde collection silver, malachite Wouters & Hendrix collection (108) Wouters & Hendrix for Dries Van Noten collection In the 1950s Leo Dohmen was a legendary Ann Demeulemeester Wouters & Hendrix describe themselves as figure in artistic circles.His flamboyant life- brooch, 1989 (118) Marcel Duchamp (Blainville-Crevon, copper, tin 1887 – Neuilly-sur-Seine, 1968) ‘romantic fools’ because of their penchant style earned him the nickname ‘De Piraat’– Wouters & Hendrix collection for symbols and jewellery referencing love. The Pirate. Besides working as a chemist for Roue de Bicyclette, 1913 (replica 1991) The chain with a solid gold heart is heavy in assembly Agfa-Gevaert, he also dealt in art and was a (109–110) Wouters & Hendrix for Private collection, Antwerp terms of weight but subtle and refined in ap- barman in an illegal nightclub. He was a good Dirk Van Saene pearance. The heart shape is universal and friend of Marcel Mariën and had contact brooch, 1990 (119) Wouters & Hendrix timeless, it embodies emotionality and in with Man Ray and Marcel ­Duchamp, two copper, tin Special Edition, bracelet, 2011 that sense is perhaps the ultimate shape for a artists who inspired him. Dohmen went out Wouters & Hendrix collection gilded silver piece of jewellery, for jewellery’s sentimental of his way to shock, combining disparate ele- Wouters & Hendrix collection (111) Wouters & Hendrix for Dries Van Noten value is often greater than its intrinsic value. ments in his surrealist ­photographs, collages brooch, 1991 (120) Marcel Broodthaers (Sint-Gillis, 1924– The heart was hammered entirely by hand in and sculptures. In Le Printemps a curly lock of burnished copper ­Cologne, 1976) Wouters & Hendrix’ studio in Antwerp. The hair references female beauty and a piece of Wouters & Hendrix collection Film als Objekt – Objekt als film, Städtisches technique is loud, but the pieces of jewellery bark nature. The curious combination sym- Museum Mönchengladbach, 1971 are anything but. Their pure forms reveal the bolizes spring. (112) Wouters & Hendrix for Dries Van Noten assembly, 4 stacked boxes raw beauty of 18-carat gold. (RC/JV) brooches, 1991 Ceuleers & Van de Velde collection, Antwerp gilded copper Wouters & Hendrix collection

34 35 (121) Wouters & Hendrix and they named her Marie D’Anniell. The (127) eight breloques in the form of a brush, a of Soto’s ‘Penetrables’­ installed around Once Upon a Time, bracelet, 2003 story of her life could be reconstructed­ from padlock, a horn, an arrow quiver, a case the world. (RC) silver, copper, enamel the knickknacks she had with her. The col- with perfume­ sponge, a pocketbook and Wouters & Hendrix collection lection made a statement, because incorpo- two cases for a ball book, 1770–1800 (132) Wouters & Hendrix rating bric-à-brac into jewellery was ­unheard silver, gold, silk, enamel, turquoise, glass, Memoirs of an Urban Cameleon, ring, 2004 (122) Wouters & Hendrix hair, ivory silver, fuchsia corundum of in the early 1990s. (RC/JV) Le Temps Perdu, necklace, 2002 RMAH collection, inv. G.2213 Wouters & Hendrix collection silver, carnelian Wouters & Hendrix collection (125) chatelaine watch with Cupid motifs and (128) chatelaine watch with a décor of carved (133) Joris Kuyl (Ukkel, °1961) two breloques, 1783–89 birds and four breloques in the form of a De Aas van Schoppen, 1998 gold, enamel (green and grisaille), pearls (123) Wouters & Hendrix seal, a coffee pot, a basket and a key silver (925 ‰) RMAH collection, inv. V.2808 Le Temps Perdu, necklace, 2002 gold, gilded brass, steel, enamel, rhinestone DIVA collection, inv. S98/9 silver, enamel, copper RMAH collection, inv. G.1000 Wouters & Hendrix collection The word ‘chatelaine’ derives from the The Ace of Spades, a lucky or unlucky card?! French for a female castellan, or keeper of (129) chatelaine with chinoiserie motif and It brought together the London-based (124) Wouters & Hendrix the castle. Since 1828 the word has been breloques including a heart, a watch key, ­Orna-Mental artist Wim Van den Bogaert alias Marie D’Anniell, necklace, 1994 used to refer to a decorative but practical a ring and a perfume­ bottle Spaghetti Man or Mr. Wim and Silverado Joris copper, pewter, silver, enamels and accessory worn at the waist, much as the gold, gilded copper, enamel, topaz, turquoise mother-of-pearl RMAH collection, inv. G.2271 Kuyl. The tags and relief tattoos on the silver Wouters & Hendrix collection ­medieval castellans wore the keys to the were designed by Van den Bogaert, while – castle’s various rooms round their waist. (130) mask with silver strings, 2004 like an alchemist – Kuyl turned the light metal Personal memories often generate the inspi- The practice of hanging a miscellany of use- silver silver into Heavy Metal. The shrine and the ration for new Wouters & Hendrix collec- ful objects from a hook or a chain attached Wouters & Hendrix collection arm symbolize power and supremacy. The tions. It so happened that both Katrin’s and to a belt at the waist spread in the sixteenth cast angel figures act asmediators ­ for the Karen’s grandmother had a little box stand- century. These ­objects varied over the years, (131) Jesús Rafael Soto (Venezuela, 1923– squatting figures whose attitude to their ing on a cupboard containing all manner of but typically included nail files, toothpicks, Paris, 2005) fate varies from resigned through relaxed to mesmerizing knickknacks, like a coin, a key scent bottles, a sewing kit, seals and the like. Penetrabile, earrings, Milan, 1968 tense. “ (…) Pushing up the ante, I know you gotta rhodinated silver, silver gilt and a pawn. In 1994 one of the ­designers’ The Royal Museums of Art and History’s see me / Read ’em and weep, the dead man’s hand valuables collection contains a number of ex. 1/100, GEM Montebello iconic collections, Marie ­D’Anniell, stemmed Didier and Martine Haspeslagh, Didier Ltd. again / I see it in your eyes, take one look and die / from the imaginary journey those items gilded examples decorated with colourful collection The only thing you see, you know it’s gonna be the enamel. (RC) took the young women on simultan­eously, Ace of Spades / The Ace of Spades.” (WN) but separately. They combed Belgium­ The South-American artist Jesús Rafael (126) chatelaine with a motif of ribbons and together in search of symbols of their Soto was a foremost exponent of optical and (134) Wouters & Hendrix shared memories, such as enamelled signs, floral garlands and six breloques, kinetic art. He produced this pair of kinetic Technofossils 2.0., ring, 2018 1770–1800 scapulars and dog collar tags. They bought earrings in collaboration with the Italian gilded silver gold, gilded copper, enamel, pearls, crystal, Wouters & Hendrix collection up collections from flea markets and the turquoise jewellery designer GianCarlo­ Montebello. classified ads ­paper ‘Koopjeskrant’. Out of RMAH collection, inv. G.2267 The earrings were inspired by an artwork (135) Wouters & Hendrix all these finds they then created a jewellery he exhibited for the first time in 1966 at the Cadavre Exquis, ring, 2019 collection ­centred around a tragic story Venice Biennale. Visitors could walk through silver about a drowned sailor who was fished out his sculpture of thin swaying rods and inter- Wouters & Hendrix collection of the harbour. On closer inspection, the act with it, an experience which still holds an ­mysterious man turned out to be a woman appeal today, judging by the number

36 37 (136) Wouters & Hendrix the body of Christ. A pyx is made of silver rife with symbolism. It comprises objects of example, a head that needs healing from The Mark Inside, ring, 2015 (or gold) and gilded on the inside because it both profane and religious origin made from headaches or a ship whose safe return is silver, pyrite comes into contact with this symbolic body. precious and commonplace materials. The requested. Wouters & Hendrix first became Wouters & Hendrix collection The veined heart shape and the inscription heart has been seen as the centre of human interested in these symbolic objects in on the back make this one particularly fasci- emotions since ancient times, and it is also the early 1990s and then went looking for (137) Wouters & Hendrix often referred to as the seat of the soul. In original examples which they transformed nating. It belonged to Don Manuel Carrera, The Mark Inside, ring, 2015 the late Middle Ages, it became a powerful into miniature versions for their ‘Healing treasurer of a parish in Spain in 1857. (RC) silver symbol of profane love. From then on the Jewelery’ collection. The ex votos from the Wouters & Hendrix collection stylized, symmetrical heart shape has ap- Dr Boyadjian collection are all heart-shaped (2) Sacred Heart of Mary, Portugal, peared with increasing regularity on all man- and consequently dedicated to Jesus, Mary (138) Wouters & Hendrix 19th century ner of knickknacks and novelties. The heart or a saint. (RC) Interstellar Love, ring, 2017 embroidered textile, glass, cardboard also occupies a prominent place in Christian gilded silver Dr Boyadjian collection, RMAH, inv. F.B.430 (13) Wouters & Hendrix collection religion. For example, the heart stands for ex voto, Belgium, 19th century brass, mother of pearl, rhinestone (3) devotion print, Paris, 1850–1920 love of one’s fellow men and for the system of moral values. Dr Boyadjian collection, RMAH, inv. F.B.019 (139) Wouters & Hendrix paper Take a Walk on The Wild Side, ring, 2014 Dr Boyadjian collection, RMAH, inv. 2.014.276.099 Wouters & Hendrix selected some thirty (14) ex voto, Belgium, 19th century silver ­objects from the Dr Boyadjian collection, brass, mother of pearl, rhinestone Wouters & Hendrix collection (4) ranging from jewellery to postcards. One devotion print, Benziger, 1833–64 Dr Boyadjian collection, RMAH, inv. F.B.021 paper of their favourites is a heart-shaped cushion Dr Boyadjian collection, RMAH, inv. 2.014.276.109 decorated with beads, spangles, a poem (140) Wouters & Hendrix (15) ex voto Take a Walk on The Wild Side, ring, 2014 and an illustration of a seaman and his ship. brass silver (5) devotion print, Paris, 1850–1920 Sailors would give this sort of cushion to Dr Boyadjian collection, RMAH, inv. F.B.585 Wouters & Hendrix collection paper their sweetheart before going away to sea. Dr Boyadjian collection, RMAH, inv. 2.014.276.090 It was a poetic and endearing way of asking (16) relic frame Sacred Heart of Jesus, (141) Louise Bourgeois (Paris, 1911 – her to think of them occasionally during their ­Belgium, 19th century (6) heart-shaped pendant, Switzerland, New York, 2010) absence. (RC) textiles and paper rolls Untitled, necklace, 1948; made in 2000 18th century Dr Boyadjian collection, RMAH, inv. F.B.050 gilded copper, enamel, glass silver Dr Boyadjian collection, RMAH, inv. F.B.391 (9–11) three postcards, ca. 1875–1950 Den Bosch Design Museum collection, paper (17) church lamp, Belgium or France, inv. S2008.023 Dr Boyadjian collection, RMAH, inv. F.B.595 19th century (7) heart-shaped pendant, Katanga, s.d. gilded brass gold Dr Boyadjian collection, RMAH, inv. F.B.557 Dr Boyadjian collection, RMAH, inv. F.B.331 (12) ex voto, 19th century SHOWCASE LEFT brass, rhinestone Dr Boyadjian collection, RMAH, inv. F.B.528 (18) Mizpah brooch, England, 19th century (8) heart-shaped cushion, England, ca. 1900 (1) pyx, Spain, 1857 silver textile, metal, beads Dr Boyadjian collection, RMAH, inv. F.B.364 silver, silver gilt Dr Boyadjian collection, RMAH, inv. F.B.427 Ex votos are left behind in a church or other Dr Boyadjian collection, RMAH, inv. F.B.001 sacred place by believers to add weight to (19) brooch, Scotland, 19th century Wouters & Hendrix were charmed by an entreaty for healing or protection, or in A pyx is a small sacred box intended exclu- silver Dr Boyadjian’s heart collection on coming gratitude for the fulfilment of a prayer. This Dr Boyadjian collection, RMAH, inv. F.B.359 sively for carrying the consecrated host to across it at the Royal Museums of Art and time-honoured tradition lives on to this the sick, for example to someone prevented History in Brussels in the ­mid-1990s. Put to- day. Ex-votos come in various shapes and (20) brooch, Scotland, 19th century by illness from attending mass. The host is gether by a ­cardiologist with a great passion sizes. Many refer literally or figuratively to silver a piece of unleavened bread symbolizing for the heart in all its forms, the collection is the favour that is requested, depicting, for Dr Boyadjian collection, RMAH, inv. F.B.355

38 39 SHOWCASE RIGHT (7) pendant Flemish Heart, 19th century (16) ex voto, 20th century silver, diamond silver (1) statue of Our Lady of the Seven Sorrows, Dr Boyadjian collection, RMAH, inv. F.B.329 Dr Boyadjian collection, RMAH, inv. F.B.146 ­Central Italy, 18th century polychromed wood The precise meaning of this type of jewel is (17) ex voto, 20th century Dr Boyadjian collection, RMAH, inv. F.B.514 not known, but Flemish hearts were regularly silver gifted to the Church. They appear to have Dr Boyadjian collection, RMAH, inv. F.B.242 The tear-filled eyes of this wooden statue originated from the Flemish people’s devo- express deep sorrow. The missing limbs and tion to Our Lady, which spread widely par- (18) three hearts wishes, 19th century hair heighten the sense of loss. The seven ticularly from Antwerp in the ­eighteenth and paper Dr Boyadjian collection, RMAH, no number swords that pierce her heart indicate that nineteenth centuries. The hearts became a this is a grieving Mary. She is not mourning popular Mothering Sunday gift. her own disfigured condition, however, but The Flemish heart is heart-shaped and the seven sorrows. These are seven painful has a diamond at its centre. The jewel is episodes in her life, like ‘The loss of the ­surmounted by a crown or a trophy consist- twelve-year-old Jesus in the temple’ and ‘The ing of a flaming torch, a quiver and a bow. crucifixion’. In the fifteenth century, venera- The trophy refers to attributes of Cupid, the tion of this type of statue of the Virgin Mary god of love, and symbolizes the victory of began to spread from the Low Countries to love. (RC) other ­Christian countries as believers were drawn to Our Lady of Sorrows by the aura (8–10) three postcards, ca. 1875–1950 she generates. (RC) paper Dr Boyadjian collection, RMAH, inv. F.B.595

(2) ex voto, 19th century brass (11) ex voto, Belgium, 1873 Dr Boyadjian collection, RMAH, inv. F.B.311 silver Dr Boyadjian collection, RMAH, inv. F.B.026

(3) church lamp screen, 19th century glass, rhinestone, brass (12) heart-shaped pendant Dr Boyadjian collection, RMAH, inv. F.B.036 ivory Dr Boyadjian collection, RMAH, inv. F.B.535

(4) box, 19th century (13) cardboard, glass heart hands, 18th century Dr Boyadjian collection, RMAH, inv. F.B.308 paper, glass, wood Dr Boyadjian collection, RMAH, inv. G.2949 (5) Sacred Heart of Jesus and Mary, Portugal, 19th century (14) ex voto, 20th century silver glass, cardboard Dr Boyadjian collection, RMAH, inv. F.B.66 Dr Boyadjian collection, RMAH, inv. F.B.431 (6) scapular with Sacred Heart, 19th century (15) ex voto, 20th century embroidered textile Dr Boyadjian collection, RMAH, inv. F.1417 silver Dr Boyadjian collection, RMAH, inv. F.B.99

40 41 ROOM OF WONDER II: DIVA TEAM WOUTERS & HENDRIX TEAM WOUTERS & HENDRIX director creative director permanent lender DIVA, Antwerp Eva Olde Monnikhof Katrin Wouters, Karen Hendrix collection King Baudouin Foundation 13.09.2019 – 16.02.2020 exhibitions team CEO Romy Cockx, Leonie Maerevoet, Elise Taillieu And all private lenders who wish to remain Exhibition arranged by Marie Vandecasteele CFO ­anonymous. De Museumstichting SON. collection team Ann Berten Carl De Smit, Arendine Martens, Wim Nys, marketing manager archives board of directors Kristina Valiulis, Ann Verbecque Jasmijn Verlinden James Abbe Archive, Les Archives Jean Luk Lemmens (chairman) communication and public activities graphic design Painlevé / Les Documents Cinémato- Nabilla Ait Daoud, Yolande Avontroodt, ­ Els Crollet, Suzanne De Lange, Tom Iriks, Lise Braekers, Studio M – Elisabeth Mestdagh graphiques Paris Karin Møller, Koen De Vylder, ­Sarah Kafif, Leen Thielemans workshop advice Annelies Thoelen, Koen Kennis, library Ulla Koninckx, Lore Verheyen, Li-An Young Jan Ceuleers (art), Robby Timmermans Lebuïn D’Haese, Monica De Coninck An Labis, Giacomo Visini photography ­(production) co-opted directors coordination René Keller, Noémie Nivelet, Thomas Nagels, texts (themes) Christian Salez, Ingrid Stevens, Erik Dralans, Wim Verhulst Ann Vallé Romy Cockx Bie De Graeve, Sepideh Sedaghatnia, ­ administration texts (objects) Manfred Sellink, Véronique Goossens Daniëlle Serré with special thanks to: Romy Cockx, Wim Nys, Leonie Maerevoet, management board front desk lenders Jasmijn Verlinden Luk Lemmens, Erik Dralans, Katelijne Decraene, Maaike Delsaerdt, Aarich Jespers, Bob Verhelst, Centre national copy editing Yolande ­Avontroodt, Maartje Stubbe, Raphaël Lauwers, Soun Liekens, des arts plastiques France, David Bielander, Romy Cockx, Annelies De Waele, An Labis, Steven Thielemans Michelle Suykerbuyk, Lieve Van Looveren Design Museum Den Bosch, Daniel von Leonie Maerevoet with the support of logistics ­Weinberger, Didier and Martine Haspeslagh, translation AWDC, Stad Antwerpen, Stéphane Keersmaekers, Henk Van Genderen Didier Ltd, London, Dries Van Noten, Edgar le Alison Mouthaan Toerisme Vlaanderen,­ Umicore security team Chat, Estate Oxana Shachko / Geukens & De guest curators Marc Brosens, Kaatje Claes, Annemie De Vil Gallery, Estate René Heyvaert and CLEAR- published by Katrin Wouters & Karen Hendrix Meester, Patrick Dhondt, Walter Geldolf, ING Brussels-New York, FIBAC Antwerp DIVA, www.divaantwerp.be curator DIVA Gert Govaerts, May Hillen, Maria Janssens, (Berchem), Jan Ceuleers, Jewish Historical Romy Cockx Raf Lippens, Ronny Mewis, Marianne Scholten, Museum Amsterdam, Galerie 1900–2000, © 2019 for this publication exhibition design Ilse Van De Weyer, Sven Wendrickx Galerie Ronny Van de Velde Antwerpen-­ all rights reserved Bob Verhelst museumshop Knokke, Katrin Wouters, Karen Hendrix, Konin- lighting Dennis en Stefan Leemans klijk Museum voor Schone Kunsten Antwerpen Chris Pype (KMSKA), Royal Museums­ for Art and History soclage Brussels (RMAH), Liesje ­Vandenbroeck, Maud Discors ­Louisa Guinness Gallery London,­ MAS production Antwerp, Michel ­Vandenkerckhove, Paul en Solution NV Katrien Lannoy-Mattelaer, Philip Aguirre y painted curtain Otegui, Philippe Piessens, City of ­Antwerp – ERCOLA, Jean Claude Block, Céline Felga, ­collection Smidt Van Gelder, Stedelijk Museum Gerard Leysen ­Amsterdam, Flemish Community­ Collection, graphic design Van Cleef & Arpels, Wouters & Hendrix Kim Beirnaert video Mario De Munck

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