The Metal Gallery, which opens next month at 90 Mount Street in the heart of Mayfair, will concentrate not on antique silver but on contemporary metalware.
The aim is to showcase the best of Britain’s talent in cutting-edge metal design, whether in gold, silver or wrought iron, via a series of rotating exhibitions ranging from jewellery and tablewares to architectural pieces. “It’s a very exciting time for British metal design: there is an enormous pool of important talent out there that warrants exhibiting”, Mr Raeymaeker said. “I intend to try and put the same energy I did with antiques into contemporary”.
The Metal Gallery’s inaugural show, which opens on June 5, is Ladysmiths, featuring cutting-edge designs by six women silversmiths. Whether it takes the form of sleek cutlery, of candlesticks and vessels inspired by organic forms with burnished and hammered metal surfaces or of fruit bowls in clever eye-catching openwork shapes, these are pieces with a contemporary feel that will make you think again about domestic silverware. Ladysmiths runs until July 12 and future events at the Metal Gallery promise us shows on gold and gemset jewellery, a cutlery display featuring the work of over 30 silversmiths and a Metallic Christmas featuring work by various artists.
Relief for Ladysmiths
Many Antiques Trade Gazette readers will be familiar with the name Francis Raeymaekers of ADC Heritage from his days as a dealer in antique silver. After a sojourn in New York, he is back in London with a new venture.
