Jewels in a Gem: Luz Camino at the Hispanic Society Museum

Hours:
Thusday – Sunday : noon – 5:00pm

Organized in conjunction with the celebration of the Joaquín Sorolla y Bastida Centennial (1923-2023), “Jewels in a Gem: Luz Camino at the Hispanic Society Museum” features the inspiring works of Spanish high jewelry designer Luz Camino, who is celebrating her 50th year in the profession.

Her colorful and multiform creations, rooted in Spanish culture and heritage, offer great parallels and eloquent dialogues with the approach and universe of Sorolla, from whom Camino occasionally draws inspiration.

Within the surroundings of the Hispanic Society Museum & Library’s “Vision of Spain” gallery, this exhibition showcases unique and limited-edition pieces from Camino’s debut in 1973, when she enrolled in Madrid’s Escuela Sindical de Joyería, becoming the first woman to be named “Sacador de Fuego.”

From the beginning, Camino has focused on the artistry and design of her creations, exploring new techniques and forms of craftsmanship. After years of making each piece herself, she progressed to seeking out artisans who had mastered specific techniques that could help her achieve her goals.

Camino is known for using unusual materials: resins, titanium, porcelain, blown glass, unusual stones such as vanadinite, bismuth, and even ball bearings. Visitors will find these elements in the works on display in the exhibition, in a variety of jewelry techniques. Camino has recovered some of these techniques from the past—plique-à-jour, for example, a technique often employed by the French jewelry designer, René Lalique—pushing the technique to its limits in order to achieve her own aesthetic, such as setting diamonds within enamel. On other occasions, she explores contemporary approaches and uses cutting-edge technologies such as 3D design and printing.

An artist of great sensitivity, Camino draws her inspiration from nature in its many forms, be it on earth—motifs composed of flowers, fruits, animals, plants—or in space—using images taken by the Hubble telescope. Sometimes she finds inspiration in everyday objects and phenomena, such as pencil shavings or soap bubbles.

With Sorolla, Camino shares a passion for Spain and its colorful and lively culture. Geraniums, tambourines, castanets, lanterns, and banderillas are equally present in the works of both artists.

Visitors are invited to participate in a playful experience that connects the worlds of Camino and Sorolla. One will marvel at the wide variety of inspirations of both artists. The exhibition also echoes the Hispanic Society’s own permanent jewelry collection, which will soon house a piece by Camino, rekindling the museum’s interest in living artists and the world of fashion.

We want to express our deep gratitude to all the lenders and sponsors who made this exhibition come true.

 

 To access the  exhibition brochure click here

 Sponsors:

The Board of Trustees of the Hispanic Society of America,
Luz Camino, Ms. Tiqui Atencio Demirjian, Anonymous.

Special gratitud to all the Lenders:

Tiqui Atencio Demirdjian, Mercedes Baptista – Condesa de El Abra, Balbanuz Benavides, Condesa de Biñasco, Francisco Bocanegra, Dorotea Bravo de Briones, Paloma Cañizares, María Teresa Capdevila,
Macarena Chávarri – Baronesa de Grado, Patty Cisneros, Simi Cohen, Cristina Corsini, Tiffany Dubin, A.L. Elzaburu, Dasha Epstein, Teresa Fernández de Henestrosa, Ella Fontanals-Cisneros, Margara Galiana, Ana Gamazo,
Carla García-Tapia, Fernando García-Tapia, Rafael García-Tapia, Mirta Giesso, Joyce Glazer, Luz González-Camino, Philippine González-Camino, Enrique Gutiérrez de Calderón, Carla Herrera, Carolina Herrera, Mercedes Hoffman, Agurcho Iruretagoyena, Isabel de La-Chica, Concepción de la Lastra, María Kerner, Alicia Koplowitz, Ana Luisa Laffont, Irene López Marco, Cristina Lozano, Beatriz Merry, María d’Ornellas, Kate Peck, Concha de Posada,
Helena Revoredo de Gut, Beatriz Santo Domingo, Lilly Scarpetta, Jeanne Sorensen Siegel, Barbara Tober,
Alejandra Zamácola  and other Anonymous Lenders.