about Gijs Bakker
Tuesday March 22nd 2022
Gijs Bakker (Amersfoort, The Netherlands, 1942) was trained as a jewelry and industrial designer at the Gerrit Rietveld Academie in Amsterdam, the Netherlands and the Konstfackskolan in Stockholm, Sweden.
His designs cover jewelry, home accessories and household appliances, furniture, interiors, public spaces and exhibitions. He worked and works for numerous companies, including Polaroid, Artifort, Droog Design, Castelijn, HEMA, Royal VKB, ENO Studio and recently as creative director for Yii, Taiwan.
Bakker taught at various schools, among which the ArtEZ Institute of the Arts in Arnhem, Delft University of Technology, and the Design Academy Eindhoven where he worked from 1987 until 2012 (since 2000 as Head of the Masters Programme). In 2016, Bakker joined as member of the Dutch Society of Arts (Akademie van Kunsten).
In 1993, Bakker co-founded Droog Design, a Dutch collective of designers, products and information. Together with Renny Ramakers, he was the selector and art director of all products within Droog Design until 2009.
In 1996, Bakker co-founded Chi ha paura…? (Italian for Who’s afraid of…?). With chp…?, the new brand name since 2013, they wanted to show the international design world that a piece of jewelry is more than a decorative fashion accessory. chp…? invites internationally acclaimed designers to create a special piece for the collection.
Gijs Bakker travels around the world to give workshops and lectures about his own work, Droog Design, chp…?, Yii /HAN gallery and is frequently a member of juries. His work is represented in both public and private collections worldwide. In 2018, Bakker received the royal distinction of Ridder in de Orde van de Nederlandse Leeuw.
In 2016 Bakker founded the MASieraad foundation together with Ruudt Peters, Ted Noten, Liesbeth den Besten, Liesbeth in't Hout and Leo Versteijlen. MASieraad aims at the promotion of jewellery in a broad sense, through the organisation of education, workshops, lectures, exhibitions, and publications. MASieraad's first project started at the Sandberg Institute in Amsterdam, as a temporary experimental 2-years Master called Challenging Jewellery. In 2020 MASieraad founded the international two-years Masterclass Program MASieraad Hasselt – Amsterdam, or MASieraad H-A.
2018 Lid Raad van Bestuur Masters Programma Challenging Jewelry, Sandberg Institute
2016 Lid Akademie van Kunsten, KNAW, Amsterdam
2015 Directeur project 'Make it chp…?, chp…? jewelry', Milaan
2014 Publicatie boek 'De Show van Gijs+Emmy', Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam
2013 Tentoonstellingsontwerp en directeur project 'Global Identity', chp...? jewelry, Milaan
2012 Artistiek directeur HAN Gallery, Taipei, Taiwan
2011 Directeur Yii project 'Street Life', debuut in het Triënnale Museum, Milaan
2010 Directeur Yii project 'Change and Transformation', debuut in het Triënnale Museum, Milaan
2010 Directeur project 'Body Stories', sierraden collectie Stichting Chi ha paura…?, in samenwerking met het SM’s Museum, s’Hertogenbosch.
2010 Debuut: Maison & Objet International Fair, Parijs
2009 - 2011 Artistiek Directeur van Yii, Taiwan
2009 - 2012 Hoofd van het Masters Programma, Design Academy, Eindhoven
2007 Ontwerper voor ENO – Editie Nouveaux Objets, Parijs
2006 Ontwerper restaurant interieur en meubel design, Middlesbrough Institute of Modern Art, Middlesbrough, UK
2006 Directeur project Rituals, sierraden collectie Stichting Chi ha paura…?,in samenwerking met het SM’s Museum, s’Hertogenbosch.
2005 Overzichtstentoonstelling, 'Gijs Bakker and Jewelry', Den Bosch, Padova en Munich
2004 Directeur project 'What’s Luxury', sierraden collectie Stichting Chi ha paura…?,
in samenwerking met het SM’s, s’Hertogenbosch.
2001 Directeur project Sense of Wonder, sierraden collectie Stichting Chi ha paura…?, in samenwerking met het SM’s s’Hertogenbosch.
2001 Adviseur voor American Craft Museum, New York
2001 Ontwerper sierraden collectie 'I don't wear jewels, I drive them.'
2000 Publicatie boek 'Gijs Bakker / Objects to use', 010 Publishers, Rotterdam
2000 – 2009 Hoofd van het IM Master programma (vanuit DroogDesign), Design Academy, Eindhoven
1998 Ontwerper sierraden collectie 'Holysport'
1998 Publicatie boek 'Droog Design: Spirit of the Nineties', 010 Publishers, Rotterdam
1997 – 2009 Directeur projecten voor Droog Design:
Rosenthal (1997), Cacharel (1998), Mandarine Duck (1999), Flos (Italië, 1999), Oranienbaum (Duitsland, 1999), Salviati (Italië, 1999), Levi’s (Verenigd Koninkrijk, 1999-2002), We (1999) Mandarina Duck with NL Architects, flag ship store, Parijs (2000), Picus Netherlands (2001), Valli &Valli, (Italië, 2002), British Airways, (Londen 2003), Streetscape, (Tokyo 2003)
1996 – 2020 Mede – oprichter van Chi ha paura…?, Stichting voor conceptuele sierraden
1993 – 2009 Artistiek Directeur Droog Design / Mede–oprichter van Droog Design
1992 – 2002 Designadviseur voor Cor Unum Ceramics, ‘s-Hertogenbosch
1987 – 2003 Hoofddocent afdeling Man and Living, Design Academy, Eindhoven
1987 – 1989 Partner van BRS Premsela & Vonk Design Firma, Amsterdam
1985 – 1987 Docent afdeling 1.0, Technische Universiteit, Delft
1980 – 1984 Curator and Designer rondreizende tentoonstelling 'Design from the Netherlands'
1971 – 1978 Docent afdeling 3D-design, Academie van Beeldende Kunsten, Arnhem
1966 – present Freelance Designer: Commissies bij o.a.: Verwo, Hema, Bijenkorf, Mobach, Cor Unum, PTT, World Press Photo, Meccano Company, Castelijn, DMD, Keltum van Kempen & Begeer, ENO, Royal VKB, Polaroid, Artimeta, Chi ha paura…?, Artifort en Mellona
1966 Getrouwd met Emmy van Leersum (†1984), met wie hij het Atelier voor Sieraden opende in Utrecht
1964 – 1966 Ontwerper voor Koninklijke Van Kempen & Begeer, Zeist
1962 – 1963 Industrial Design Department, Konstfack Skolan, Stockholm,
1958 – 1962 Instituut voor Kunstnijverheidsonderwijs (Gerrit Rietveld Academie), Amsterdam
Exhibitions (selected)
2025 'Constellations. Contemporary Jewelry', Dallas Museum of Art, Dallas, USA
2024 'Dutch, More or Less: Contemporary Architecture, Design and Digital Culture', Nieuwe Instituut, Rotterdam, NL
2024 'OUT of the Jewelry Box', Museum of Arts and Design MAD, New York, USA
2024 'Beyond Brilliance: Highlights from MFA', MFA Boston, Boston, USA
2023 The Love of Art comes first. Art & Project', Kröller-Müller Museum, Otterlo, NL
2023 Droog 30 - Design or Non-Design?, Milan & Rotterdam, Triennale Milano & Nieuwe Instituut, IT & NL
2023 Irma Boom: Kunst + Boeken, Rijksmuseum
2023 'FIAT BULB. La sindrome di Edison', Salone del Mobile, Milan, IT
2022 / 2023 '1:? - De modellen van Gijs Bakker', Design Museum Den Bosch, NL
2022 Gijs Bakker, 'Charished Double', CHAxART, Amsterdam
2022 Gijs Bakker, 'GB Lounge Chair' - Karakter at Cassina show room, Milan, Salone del Mobile, IT
2021 Gijs Bakker, 'Balance 4 point 0', Carpenters Workshop Gallery, Paris, FR
2021 Gijs Bakker, Design Week Budapest, Budapest, HU
2020 'Gijs Bakker & K. Schippers: Basics', Huis Sonneveld, Rotterdam, NL
2019 'Meeting the future', SxV Museum of Modern Art, Qingdao, CH
2019 'Shining on the stage - Dutch spirit', New Center of Contemporary Jewellery and Fashion Culture (NoCC) in Shanghai, CH
2018 TraditionNow, World Historical & Cultural Cities Expo, Nanjing, CH
2017 'MEDUSA - bijoux et tabou', Musee d'Art Moderne de la Ville Paris, FR
2017 'Black to White', BorzoGallery, Amsterdam, NL and Caroline Van Hoek, Brussels, BE
2016 'chp...? joyería - un proyecto de Gijs Bakker', Museo Franz Mayer, Mexico City, MX
2015 'Ode aan de Nederlandse mode', Gemeentemuseum, Den Haag, NL
2015 'Design Derby - Netherlands - Belgium (1815 - 2015)', Boijmans Van Beuningen, Rotterdam, NL
2015 'Gijs Bakker: The Holes Collection', Atelier Courbet, New York, USA
2014 / 2016 'Jewellery & Design', Museo del Gioiello, Vicenza, Italy
2014 / 2015 'Van Stoelen Bezeten', Het Gorcums Museum, Gorinchem, NL
2014 'Gifts from America: 1948–2013. Modern and contemporary applied arts from the Hermitage Museum Foundation (USA)', Hermitage, St. Petersburg, Russia
2014 'Le Labo des Héritiers', Grand Hornu Images, Hornu, Belgium
2014 Presentation of works together with chp...?, Designblok, Prague, CZ
2014 'De Show van Gijs+Emmy' ('The Gijs+Emmy Spectacle'). Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
2014 'Multiple Exposures: Jewelry and Photography'. The Museum of Arts and Design, New York, USA
2014 'Triple Parade'. Ubi Gallery, Beijing and OCT Loft, Shenzhen, China
2013 Solo exhibition, Design Miami/ fair, with projects Go for Gold and Girl with the Pearl
2013 chp...? Global Identity, Salone del Mobile, Ventura Lambrate, LAP, Milan, Italy
2012 HAN Gallery and Chi ha paura..?, Salone del Mobile, Ventura Lambrate, Milan, Italy
2010 / 2011 Yii, Triennale Design Museum, Milan, Italy
2010 Roomservice Gallery, Barcelona, Spain
2009 Designers on Jewellery: Twelve years of jewellery production by Chi ha paura...? publication & travelling exhibition
2008 Real? exhibition at Gallerie Ra, Amsterdam & Gallery Deux Poissons, Tokyo
2007 Project “Rituals”, jewelry collection by Chi ha paura…?, together with SM’s ‘s-Hertogenbosch, presented in Milan, during International Furniture Fair.
2005 Retrospective exhibition ‘Gijs Bakker and Jewelry’, SM’s, Stedelijk Museum ’s-Hertogenbosch, ’s-Hertogenbosch, the Netherlands
‘Shot’ and ‘Holysport’ Gallery Deux Poissons, Tokyo, Japan
2003 ‘Holysport’ and ‘I don’t wear jewels. I drive them’. Galeria Hipotesi, Barcelona, Spain
2001 ‘I don’t wear jewels, I drive them’. Galerie Ra, Amsterdam and KunstRai, Amsterdam, the Netherlands and Gallery Helen Drutt, Philadelphia, USA
1998 ‘Holysport / Shot’. Galerie Ra, Amsterdam and KunstRai, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
1995 ‘Shot-project’ (for the occasion of the Prins Bernhard Fonds Prijs). Galerie Ra, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
1993 ‘Gatenproject’ (‘Holes project’). Galerie Ra, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
1989 ‘Solo voor een solist’ (‘Solo for a soloist’). Retrospective exhibition, Centraal Museum, Utrecht, the Netherlands and Helen Drutt Gallery, New York, USA
1977 ‘Overzichtstentoonstelling Gijs Bakker, meubels en verlichting’ (‘Retrospective exhibition Gijs Bakker, furniture and lighting’) (together with Bob Bonies and Benno Premsela). Gemeentelijke Van Reekumgalerij, Apeldoorn, the Netherlands
1967 ‘Sculpture to wear by Emmy van Leersum and Gijs Bakker’. Ewan Philips Gallery, London, UK
1967 'Edelsmeden 3', group exhibition, Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
1965 'jan montijn', Galerie Swart, group exhibition with Jan Montijn, Emmy van Leersum, Gijs Bakker a.o. Amsterdam, the Netherlands
2011 Lifetime Achievement Award, Sanoma Living Awards