A Jewel of a Feast

Anke Akerboom

Anke AMO Akerboom

From February 29th to October 27th, 2024 a retrospective exhibition of the work of master goldsmith and jewelry designer Anke AMO Akerboom can be seen at the Silver Museum in Schoonhoven, Netherlands.

At ‘A jewel of a feast’ the visitor discovers how Anke transforms a seemingly worthless material into a valuable piece of circular jewellery. In her own words: “thereby creating jewellery that not only serves to decorate, but can also disrupt and shock.”

This exhibition offers an overview of the last 45 years. With ‘A jewel of a feast’ she celebrates these years, looking back and ahead.

Not any other student

Anke Akerboom

Anke Akerboom (1957) studied at the Vocational School in Schoonhoven, where it was swiftly apparent that she was not a standard student. Anke started her career with the well-known Amsterdam enameler Nico Witteman. As an independent goldsmith she restored enamel jewellery for antique dealers and the Dutch Royal Household. She received various nominations for her autonomous enamel work and was awarded the Japanese Mainichi Newspaper Award. While in Japan she studied under the renowned avant-garde artist-goldsmith Kohei Miyata.

Image: Martin Waalboer

Image: Erwin Maes

Innovative and unique

An evolutionary oeuvre

With tradition as her starting point, she still works daily on an oeuvre characterised by evolution: with changing techniques, new materials and always a fresh approach. This way she surprises or makes a statement. An example: she created a chain of guinea pig droppings; again making something seemingly worthless, valuable and circular. She is continually searching for innovative combinations of materials, ultimately creating unique pieces. “The flow of ideas comes faster than the time I can spend realising them.”

knowledge and education

For the next generation

Together with her husband, visual artist Mirko Krabbé, she develops new concepts and is committed to the Amsterdam artist community. In 1995 she founded her own vocational school for goldsmiths in Amsterdam. She has been passing her knowledge on to a new generation of goldsmiths for years.