The Terry Brodie-Smith Jewellery collection I suppose that my lasting and sharpest memories of observing this collection grow will always be those which involve seeing Terry wearing a collage of pieces in an association designed to make them talk to each other as well as to me or anyone else who saw them. He has been an important factor in my own growing perception of the relationship between the wearer and the viewer of jewellery, and sometimes the maker as well; he has always been an interpreter of the work he bought, and his interpretations or associative schemes provoked thought, laughter, discussion, and enhanced appreciation of the works themselves. Terry and his collecting habits have fascinated over a long period; I recognise many of the pieces here as the ones of which I assumed instinctively that he was the buyer when I saw the red dots in their cases at the Scottish Gallery. Actually, the puzzle is to form and describe a sense of his taste – I recognise the collecting principles and motivators very well. In the end, I suspect that it is often, though not always, about size and the specifics of colour. Terry’s taste sometimes tends towards the quasi- figurative, and his pieces are often bold, bright and ingenious, conceptually or in terms of fabrication. Technical cleverness and innovative design have always counted, whether the piece is in precious materials or in a wide range of alternative media. Over something like a quarter of a century, Terry’s collecting habits have been driven by an interest in innovation, and a desire to support emerging and established professionals in a discipline which has itself emerged, mutated and developed significantly over those years. This has been given a local focus in supporting the academic communities and work of several art schools, Edinburgh College of Art in particular, and in supporting the Scottish Gallery in its relationships with makers, educators and collectors. So the collection demonstrates, among other things, an informed and perceptive eye for potential and evolving talent – we can see early efforts by some of those young graduates as well as their later and often more recognisable work. Gratifyingly often, we have a series of pieces by a single hand which show the development for which Terry hoped. Clearly there have been some makers whose careers he has followed, and updated his collection as new ideas appeared. At the same time, the collection demonstrates a constructive interest in the wider world of contemporary studio work – we can find pieces by some of the major practitioners in Japan, America, and Europe as well as Britain. We can see pieces in paper, glass, enamel, rubber, precious and non-precious metals, plastics and acrylics, resin, wood. We can see textile techniques interpreted in metal, metal forms in paper, innovative forming and colouring, items which require acute accuracy of hand and eye, pieces which push the capacity of the material as well as the skill of the maker right to the edge. Terry has always been intensely interested in the manifestation and enhancement of specialist skills, and these pieces are a vivid witness to the depth of that interest. As a result, the collection is not, and was never intended to be encyclopaedic, even when viewed as a product of its time and environment. It has work by some of the currently acknowledged major influences, and perhaps more significantly, evidence of the influence as shown more widely. It is a fascinating record of a witty and profoundly informed and perceptive collecting instinct, which has been remarkably in tune with its time. Professor Elizabeth Moignard, August 2012
THE TERRY BRODIE-SMITH JEWELLERY COLLECTION Online catalogue: www.scottish-galllery.co.uk/terrybrodiesmith The Terry Brodie-Smith collection is a fascinating international survey of contemporary jewellery collected from the 1980’s to the present day, reflecting the rich diversity of our jewellery programme. This exhibition is a celebration of quality, innovation, material and one man’s unique vision. With an introduction by Professor Elizabeth Moignard (overleaf), we have created a special on line catalogue which features over 150 works. Artists include: Jane Adam Vicki Ambery-Smith Marianne Anderson Laura Bakker Michael Becker Elizabeth Bone Flora Book Holly Belsher Stephen Bottomley Molly Bullick Peter Chang Lin Cheung Norman Cherry Susan Cross Jack Cunningham Ramon Puig Cuyas Jenny Deans Joel Degen Dawn Emms Anne Finlay Nahoko Fujimoto Emma Gale Grace Girvan Anna Gordon Sally Grant Katy Hackney Castello Hansen Maria Hansen Mark Hartung Loekie Heintzberger Professor Hiramatsu Elizabeth Holder Hiroki Iwata Yoko Izawa Nuala Jamison Hermann Junger
Gail Klevan Esther Knobel Daphne Krinos Brigit Laken Andrew Lamb Beth Legg Linda Lewin Nel Linssen Ann Little Catherine Martin Susan May Catherine Mannheim Alison Macleod Judy McCaig Sheila McDonald Marlene McKibbin Kazuko Mitsushima Noon Mitchelhill Xavier Ines Monclus Nicola Moss Grainne Morton Keiko Mukaide Peter Niczewski Seunghee Oh Breon O’Casey Angela O’Kelly Rowena Park Adam Paxon Mah Rana Geoff Roberts Jacqueline Ryan Philip Sajet Vanetta Seecharran Helen Smythe Eric Spiller Etsuko Sonobe Janna Syvanoja
Rachelle Thiewes Joanne Thompson Brigitte Turba Claire Underwood Felieke Van Der Leest Karin Wagner Esther Ward Naoko Yoshizawa