Untitled (portrait)

Gerda Flockinger

This simple but intriguing Expressionist portrait, rendered in warm neutrals save for one gleaming magenta eye, is reflective of the work of internationally renowned experimental jeweler Gerda Flockinger, CBE. As with her fused metal pieces, she has coaxed a delicate texture from an otherwise flat matrix and studded it with a jewel tone that draws the attention upward.

Flockinger, who also worked in enamel, etching, and watercolor, was the first living jeweler to have a solo exhibition at the Victoria and Albert Museum (1971) and was the first person to formally teach experimental jewelry making in Britain, beginning in 1963 at the Hornsey College of Art. Such was her influence that she was awarded the title of Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) by Queen Elizabeth II, in recognition of her services to the arts (1991). This painting offers a glimpse into her other, non-metal work, hinting at playfulness. And always, with her signature freedom of expression.