In 2004, Vera Siemund gave a lecture about her work at SOFA NY. The lecture was sponsored by AJF.
Vera Siemund’s work invites us to ponder a provocatively beautiful paradox – a precious balance between the historic continuum of the decorative arts and radically fresh ideas made manifest in expertly crafted jewelry. Siemund is a young avant-garde German artist who contemporizes classic forms and reminds us of the elegance of things past. Historic ornaments and classical references have long been the focus of her interest. She is interested in their associative power and holds a deep appreciation for the richness, detail, beauty and workmanship of old jewelry. Yet she is quick to comment that ‘these do not belong to the world today. I often work with quotations from the eighteenth and nineteenth century. I pick out pieces which are already eclectic themselves . . . with roots in history and connections to the present.’
Recently Siemund was the featured artist in Metalsmith magazine, where noted art historian Toni Greenbaum commented, ‘Her work is exquisite, yet it exceeds mere surface appeal by also eloquently commenting on the past by juxtaposing selected motifs from classical antiquity, architecture, textiles, costume and botanical gardens.’
Siemund studied jewelry with Dorothea Prühl at Burg Giebichenstein in Halle, Germany. She is represented at SOFA by Jewelers’ Werk Galerie, Washington, DC.
