What is beautiful?

Hermann Juenger, Ike Jünger, Schmuck, Schmuckkunst, Pöring, München, Munich

In Jo and Hermann Jüngers’s house in Pöring near Munich.

Jewelry artist Ike Jünger grew up in a parental home that was anything but ordinary. The far-reaching influence of her father, Hermann Jünger, who is among the important innovators of the goldsmith’s art after 1945, was based on a notion of beauty that can be traced to the Middle Ages. Nevertheless, Ike Jünger has found an artistic position that is all her own. Her work offers a vertiable cornucopia of unadulterated beauty. For the current issue ‘What is beautiful’ of Art Aurea Magazine we visited the jewelry artist and the house of her parents, Jo and Hermann Jünger, in Pöring near Munich.
How wood objects of true beauty can emerge, show Ramon Zangger from the Engadine and Ernst Gamperl, winner of this year’s Loewe Craft Prize.

Ramon Zangger, furniture designer in his workshop in Swiss Engadine. Photo Miriam Künzli

The traditional jewelry manufacturer Henrich & Denzel, based in Radolfzell on the shores of Lake Constance, has also committed itself to beauty. Until today the company’s demanding task is to cultivate the Modernist tradition at a German jewelry manufactory. How did American collector Victor Novotny come to find his passion for German ceramics after 1945? A visit to his New York apartment reveals an exquisit selection of contemporary ceramics.

Swing Ring, Henrich & Denzel, Schmuck, Schmuckdesign

Design in the modernist tradition: The new Swing Ring by Henrich & Denzel in 950 Platin with diamonds. Photo Judith Buethe

The search for beauty is a cross-cultural phenomenon. Especially in the applied arts it is a continuing concern and this manifests itself in objects created with great passion. In the “showroom” of each print edition, we present the work of contemporary designers, artists and craftsmen, giving you an overview of current trends. Here are some works from the current issue: