Werke und Tage/Works and Days

Werke und Tage/Works and Days, at the Staatliche Antikensammlungen, contrasts contemporary Danish jewelry from the Danish Arts Foundation’s collection with ancient works of art from the Munich collections, linking together past and present and attesting to how the universal practice of adorning oneself has characterized humankind through every era. The Jewellery Collection of the Danish Arts Foundation carries a message on the democratization of art. Any Danish citizen may borrow a piece of jewelry from the collection if they have an active role in an official event. When they wear the jewelry, they not only adorn themselves with work by one of Denmark’s best jewelers; they convey art to everyone—in this case, even beyond Denmark’s borders. This exhibition’s dialogue between ancient jewelry and art jewelry breaks down boundaries of time and geography and helps to create new, powerful relationships. This is precisely the focal point for the Danish-German Cultural Friendship Year 2020, which anchors the show. Catalog courtesy of co-curators Florian Knauß and Mette Saabye and the Antikensammlung.