Françoise van den Bosch Prize presented to Warwick Freeman

Saturday April 26, 2003, in Amsterdam, the Françoise van den Bosch Prize 2002 was presented to Warwick Freeman (New Zealand). Several people were speaking: Liesbeth den Besten chairwoman of the Françoise van den Bosch Foundation, His Excellency Mr. David Payton the ambassador of New Zealand, Rob Koudijs chairman of the jury, and Warwick Freeman. Freeman confessed to be honoured with this prize and to be still amazed about it.
Mrs Dr. Ellen Maurer-Zilioli, curator of the Pinakothek der Moderne, gave a lecture on the jewellery collection of the Danner Foundation which is in the collection of the Pinakothek der Moderne in Munich (Germany), and on the position of jewellery in a museum for modern and contemporary art, architecture and design.

Warwick Freeman, is working on an exhibition and a book about his work, in cooperation with the art historian Damien Skinner. The exhibition will start in May 2004 in the Tropenmuseum in Amsterdam. The title of the exhibition is ‘Given, the Jewellery of Warwick Freeman 1980 – 2003’. The theme of exhibition and book is: culture and identity, and the appropriation of themes, materials and images.



WARWICK FREEMAN

Warwick Freeman ( Nelson, New Zealand 1953) is a self-taught artist who works as an independent jewellery designer since 1973. Freeman has been exhibiting his works worldwide. His work is part of many museum collections like in Auckland, Canberra, Melbourne, Munich, Philadelphia, Sydney, Wellington, Pforzheim and Amsterdam.



The jewellery of Warwick Freeman has its roots in the Southern Pacific. The materials and techniques and the stories which inspire him, are those of the natives of New Zealand and Oceania. Auckland, where Freeman lives, has an important museum with a prominent collection of jewellery from the Pacific Ocean region. Auckland is also the residence of a large group of Maori and other natives from Oceania. This cultural influence is of great importance for the works of Freeman. Nevertheless, his work is unmistakably of today and is at the crossroad of two cultures, traditional Pacific and contemporary Western. All his jewellery shows a powerful statement. The way he uses and combines materials like bone, silver, minerals, acryl, shells and wood is sensitive and shows a great love for craftsmanship.



warwick freeman