Pendant necklace GENEVA, C. 1900
Horn, glass beads, silk. Corne, perles de verre, soie.
Courtesy Musée d’art et d’histoire, Ville de Genève
For its eighth on-site exhibition from 7 to 10 May this year, GemGenève has come up with an innovative offering that explores the very essence of artistic creation – the powerful and fragile instant at which the human hand and raw materials interact. Shaping matter, enhancing beauty offers insights into handicrafts, celebrating the transitioning of material from its raw state into precious artefacts.
‘Shaping matter, enhancing beauty’ takes visitors on a deep dive into the world of rare materials.
Lapidary sculptor and master craftsman Hervé Obligi at
GemGenève to celebrate the tenth edition of the show ©Piaget
“GemGenève’s cultural and educational ethos contributes to the event’s legitimacy, identity and longevity.In a world where everything moves fast, creating meaningful spaces where knowledge can be passed on is a real responsibility.”——Mathieu Dekeukelaire, Director, GemGenève
THE HUMAN TOUCH AT THE HEART OF THE LATEST EXHIBITIONSHAPING MATTER, ENHANC ING BEAUTY
Bowl (one of a pair) with floral decorations, China Nephrite, Qing dynasty,
Qianlong imperial workshop 乾隆 (1736-1795), inventory no. CB-JC-1930-38,
courtesy of the Baur Foundation Museum of Far Eastern Art.
© Baur Foundation / Marian Gérard
From cutting and polishing to engraving and carving, a crucial encounter lies behind every jewel and objet d’artat the point where the artisan’s hand meets the material itself. This original GemGenève exhibition sheds light on the unspoken dialogue between mineral and organic matter and the hand that shapes it. Every single gesture is not only technically precise: it is also a decisive stage in the birth of an item of jewellery or work of art. Combining technique, tradition, experience and intuition, this dexterity embodies know-how that is hard to put into words-but no less praiseworthy for all that.
Rectangular vase (of a pair) in the shape of an archaic zun尊
CHINA, LATE QING DYNASTY(1644 - 1911) OR EARLY REPUBLIC (1912 - 1949)
Nephrite Courtesy Fondation Baur
Devised by Mathieu Dekeukelaire with the support of the Baur Foundation, the Museum of Far Eastern Art and the Geneva Museum of Art and History (MAH), the exhibition brings together over one hundred items loaned from institutional and private collections. Pauline d’Abrigeon and Estelle Fallet, curators at the Baur Foundation and MAH Geneva respectively, have pooled their expertise for GemGenève to co-curate its latest cultural event and make this ambitious project a reality.
GILBERT ALBERT (GENÈVE 20.09.1930- GENÈVE, 30.09.2019)
Choker necklace centerpiece
Courtesy Musée d’art et d’histoire, Ville de Genève H 2016-0266
Donation Fondation Gilbert Albert, Genève, 2016
From cameos to nephrite vases from the Qing dynasty via intaglio prints and Art Deco nécessaires, the exhibition offers a broad and eclectic overview of the extraordinary diversity of materials used in handicrafts through the ages. Featuring jade, horn, onyx, agate, coral and amber, Shaping matter,enhancing beauty offers a deep dive into the world of rare mineral and organic materials-most of the latter now covered by strict legislation due to their links with protected species. Alongside the exhibition itself, Pauline d’Abrigeon will be sharing her knowledge and insights during a dedicated panel discussion, giving the general public an in-depth perspective on the works of art on display.
THE BAUR FOUNDATION’S MUSEUM OF FAR EASTERN ART COMES TO GEMGENÈVE
FROM IMPERIAL JADE TO JASPER SNUFF BOXES, NEARLY TWO SCORE ITEMS
FROM THE MUSEUM FEATURE IN THIS OFF-SITE EXHIBITION
The Baur Foundation’s Museum of Far Eastern Art has been closed for renovations since August 2025 – but is getting ready to write a new chapter in its history in just a few months’ time. Ahead of the museum’s reopening, GemGenève has invited the Foundation to come to Palexpo and stag e an off-site exhibition – a unique opportunity to admire some of the finest pieces from its collection. Almost forty objets d’art belonging to the private foundation will be on show at Shaping matter, enhancing beauty – a fitting way to share the treasures of this Geneva institution with GemGenève visitors and exhibitors alike.
Bowl with handles and plant motifs
CHINA, LATE QING DYNASTY(1644 - 1911) OR EARLY REPUBLIC (1912 - 1949).
INSCRIPTION «QIANLONG» 乾隆 (1736 - 1795)
UNDER THE BASE Nephrite Courtesy Fondation Baur
Located in Geneva in a mansion dating from the late nineteenth century, the Baur Foundation is home to one of Europe’s most remarkable collections of Chinese and Japanese art. Jades, porcelain, lacquer furniture, engravings, netsuke and sabre decorations are among the nine thousand or so artefacts amassed by Swiss collector Alfred Baur (1865-1951), including one of Europe’s largest collections of Chinese porcelain – and some items produced by the Imperial manufactories. Since 1995 the museum has also benefited from several gifts, in particular of antique Chinese lacquer furniture, Chinese export porcelain, Chinese and Japanese fabrics and a large collection focusing on the Japanese tea ceremony. The Baur Foundation is the only museum in Switzerland solely devoted to far eastern art and also hosts temporary exhibitions several times a year.
Brush jar, China: nephrite, Qing dynasty, 18th century,
Qianlong Imperial workshops 乾 隆 (1736-1795),
inventory no.: CB-JC-1926-98, Courtesy of the Baur
Foundation Museum of Far Eastern Art
© Baur Foundation / Marian Gérard