Bernhard Schobinger
"Scherben vom Moritzplatz Berlin" Necklace

"Scherben vom Moritzplatz Berlin" Necklace

© Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York / ProLitteris, Zürich

"Scherben vom Moritzplatz Berlin" Necklace
"Scherben vom Moritzplatz Berlin" Necklace
CultureSwiss
Titles
  • "Scherben vom Moritzplatz Berlin" Necklace
  • "Broken Pieces from Moritzplatz Berlin" Necklace
Date1983–1984
MediumAntique crystal beads, television bulbs, German Coca-Cola bottle, silver, and steel wire
DimensionsOverall: 8 × 6 × 1 in. (20.3 × 15.2 × 2.5 cm)
Credit LineHelen Williams Drutt Collection, museum purchase funded by Gail and Louis K. Adler in honor of Fayez Sarofim
Object number2002.4062
Not on view

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Description

Constructed from a set of antique crystal beads interspersed with shards of German Coca-Cola bottles and television bulbs, Bernhard Schobinger's "Scherben vom Moritzplatz Berlin" Necklace juxtaposes the past with the present, violence with delicacy. It also offers commentary on Germany's political history and contemporary consumer culture. According to the artist, the pieces of broken glass were found in Berlin’s Moritzplatz. Located directly in front of the Berlin Wall, Moritzplatz was the favored gathering place of German "Neue Wilden” (New Wilds) artists and punks. In the late 1970s, Schobinger had begun to work with found objects encountered in daily life. For years, he amassed and stored this cultural detritus in his studio until he found uses for the various objects, a process that allowed him to create jewelry with layered and complex meanings. The artistic movements of Dada and Surrealism also played a defining role in shaping Schobinger’s aesthetic. Often his messages came in the form of social criticism; at other times, such as with the "Scherben vom Moritzplatz Berlin" Necklace, they reflected the turbulent political climate of Europe, both past and present.


 


Provenance[Rezac Gallery, Chicago]; acquired by Helen Williams Drutt English; purchased by MFAH, 2002.
Exhibition History"10 Goldsmiths," Rezac Gallery, Chicago, May 4–July 1, 1988.

"Korun Kieli (The Language of Jewelry), 1964-1992," Röhsska Konstslöjdmuseet, Gothenberg, Sweden, November 28, 1992–January 10, 1993; Taideteollisuusmuseo, Helsinki, March 12–April 12, 1995.

"Contemporary Jewelry: 1964-1993, Selected Works, Helen Williams Drutt Collection," Arkansas Art Center Decorative Arts Museum, Little Rock, October 8–November 21, 1993.

"Schmuck Unserer Zeit, 1964-1993, Sammlung Helen Williams Drutt, USA," Museum Bellerive, Zürich, February 10–May 1, 1994.

"A Moveable Feast: Helen Williams Drutt Collection 1964-1994," Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam, November 18, 1994–January 8, 1995; Museum voor Moderne Kunst, Ostend, Belgium; June 17–September 24, 1995.

"Beyond Ornament: Contemporary Jewelry from the Helen Williams Drutt Collection," Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, August 16, 2003–February 29, 2004.

"Ornament as Art: Avant-Garde Jewelry from the Helen Williams Drutt Collection," Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, September 30, 2007–January 27, 2008; Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington, March 14–July 6, 2008; Mint Museum of Craft and Design, Charlotte, August 16, 2008–January 4, 2009; Tacoma Art Museum, Washington, June 27–September 13, 2009.

"Postmodernism: Style and Subversion 1970–1990," Victoria and Albert Museum, London, September 24, 2011–January 15, 2012; Museo di arte moderna e contemporanea di Trento e Rovereto, Italy, February 25–June 3, 2012.

Cataloguing data may change with further research.

If you have questions about this work of art or the MFAH Online Collection please contact us.

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