Women's Tales: Four Leading Israeli Jewelers »

Davira S. Taragin is Director of Exhibitions and Programs, Racine Art Museum. Alex Ward is Curator of Design and Architecture, The Israel Museum, Jerusalem. Helen W. Drutt English is an independent curator, art historian, and collector.

Documenting a leading international collaboration between The Israel Museum, Jerusalem, and the Racine Art Museum, Wisconsin, this publication and its accompanying touring exhibition present the first comprehensive study of Israeli contemporary jewellery by focusing on the careers of four of its leading women jewellers: Bianca Eshel-Gershuni, Vered Kaminski, Esther Knobel, and Deganit Stern Schocken. Each of these artists has played a major role in forging an Israeli identity in the contemporary jewellery movement, one that is distinctive from Europe and America. In fact, their work has brought international recognition to a country that has been largely unrecognised for its contribution to contemporary jewellery. While all four jewellers have looked abroad for inspiration and participated in Europe's New Jewellery movement with its focus on nonprecious materials, their work is uniquely autobiographical, reflecting that all are women, wives, and mothers living in Israel and are all strongly impacte