ROBERT BAINES
RÜDIGER JOPPIEN
Dr. Rüdiger Joppien has been senior curator at the Museum für Kunst und Gewerbe Hamburg (Museum for Art and Industry) since 1987. In spring 2008 he was made an Associate of the Honourable Company of Goldsmiths, Goldsmith’s Hall, London, and in April 2009 was appointed Honorary Professor at the University of Hamburg. Joppien has a special interest in modern craft and was responsible for the organisation of the annual arts and crafts fair at the Museum für Kunst und Gewerbe. B A R B A R A PA R I S G I F F O R D
Barbara Paris Gifford is Senior Curator of Contemporary Art, Craft, and Design at the Museum of Arts and Design New York (MAD). She oversees MAD’s esteemed jewellery collection and has organised several exhibitions including, Robert Baines: Fake News and True Love (2018),
Jewellery Stories: Highlights from the Collection 1947-Now (ongoing), and Out of the Jewellery Box (2024–26). Additionally, she designs and speaks at many symposiums, writes for numerous publications, and hosts the webinar, In the MAD Loupe. Gifford holds a Master of Arts degree from the Bard Graduate Center. DIANE SOUMILAS
Diane Soumilas has worked in the public gallery and museum sector in Melbourne and overseas in Paris, France for over thirty years in curatorial and art museum management roles, has curated over 100 exhibitions of Australian and International art, and contributed essays to a range of art publications. Diane Soumilas is the Gallery Curator she has worked since 2008 and curated many survey and thematic exhibitions of contemporary Australian art including Edge of Elsewhere (2024), Flourish (2023), Louise Paramor: Emporium (2013) and Robert
Baines: A Visible Likeness (2011). NICHOLAS BASTIN
Nicholas Bastin is an artist from Naarm Melbourne. He studied Fine Art Gold and Silversmithing at RMIT University, completing a PhD in 2011. Nicholas’ experience as a university lecturer spans 30 years, and includes teaching at School of Art and Design, Monash University, Jewellery and Object, Sydney College of the Arts, The University of Sydney. He currently lectures in the School of Art at RMIT University. He has exhibited both internationally and in Australia since 1990 and is represented in public collections including the National Gallery of South Australia, the National Gallery of Victoria, and the National
ISBN 978-3-89790-730-0
Gallery of Australia.
9 783897 907300
PLENITUDE
and Coordinator at Glen Eira City Council Gallery, Melbourne where
ROBERT BAINES
Robert Baines is a master of his craft, a goldsmith whose work transcends time and tradition. With a career that has profoundly shaped Australian jewellery, object-making, and the broader field of international historical scholarship, Baines brings a unique voice to the world of contemporary jewellery. His creations, infused with wry humour and unparalleled technical brilliance, challenge our perceptions as much as they captivate the eye.
ROBERT BAINES
As an emeritus professor at RMIT University in Melbourne, where he taught gold and silversmithing for over three decades, Baines has left an indelible mark on generations of artists and scholars. His journey began with a Winston Churchill Study Grant in 1979, opening doors to the ancient world of gold artefacts in prestigious international collections. This passion for the past led him to study at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, supported by a Senior Fulbright and multiple fellowships, where he unearthed the secrets of ancient goldsmiths and wove them into his own practice. Baines’ work is a bridge between eras, connecting the artistry of ancient Greek and Etruscan goldsmiths with modern-day innovation. His hands have shaped gold into objects that are as much about storytelling as they are about craft—each piece a dialogue between the past and the present, tradition and imagination. Recognised globally, his work is represented in esteemed international public collections and has earned him numerous prestigious awards. In 2010, he was designated a Living Treasure: Master of Australian Craft. In this book, Baines invites readers into his world, where ancient techniques are revived and re-imagined, where the mythology of culture is both respected and playfully de-constructed. His journey as an artist is one of exploration and discovery, a testament to how the echoes of the past can inspire the creative spirit of today. This is not just a book; it is a glimpse into the mind of a goldsmith who sees history not as a relic, but as a living, breathing source of endless inspiration.
COVER IMAGE
MULTIPLICIT Y No. 1 , 2018–19 Silver, electroplate, powdercoat, lacquer 170 × 365 long (with chain), 178 × 60 mm
arnoldsche