The Gijs + Emmy Spectacle

Husband-and-wife team Gijs Bakker (born 1942) and Emmy van Leersum (1930-1984) are internationally recognized as pioneers in the field of modern jewelry design. Together, they created an extensive oeuvre of minimalistic, futuristic jewelry from unorthodox materials, including Plexiglas, aluminum and even stovepipes. Their avant-garde jewelry and clothing fuse fashion, design and art. The Gijs + Emmy Spectacle focuses on the early, collective work of the artistic duo, from 1967 to 1972. In May 1967, Gijs and Emmy presented their designs in a spectacular show at the Stedelijk Museum: with its futuristic clothing, large aluminum neck bands, avant-garde styling and electronic music, this show placed them in the vanguard of modern youth culture in one fell swoop. Author Marjan Boot has reconstructed and expanded upon this sensational fashion show, exhibiting it at the Stedelijk Museum and capturing it in this volume, which includes a DVD of Lex Reitsma's film about the duo.