Press release -
Arje Griegst's Sumptuous Jewellery up for Auction
Arje Griegst's sculptural and artistic golden jewellery laid the foundation for Danish jewellery design, and his creations have been exhibited at renowned museums such as the Metropolitan Museum in New York. With his unique craftsmanship and imaginative style, Griegst is known today as one of the most ground-breaking jewellery designers of our time worldwide. Now a total of nine rare pieces of jewellery by the prominent jewellery designer are coming up for auction at Bruun Rasmussen – Part of the Bonhams Network. The estimated prices range from DKK 15,000 to DKK 100,000.
World-class Danish jewellery art is on display when Bruun Rasmussen – Part of the Bonhams Network opens the doors to this summer's Live Auction with jewellery in Copenhagen on 15 June.
Here, nine rare pieces of jewellery by the Danish goldsmith, artist and designer Arje Griegst are going under the hammer, eight of which come from a prominent international collection. According to Katrin Mikkelsen Sørensen, who is Head of International Jewellery at Bruun Rasmussen, it is extremely rare to see original Griegst jewellery at auction.
"The collection here is very unusual, and it is the first time ever that we are offering nine original pieces of Arje Griegst jewellery at the same auction. Arje Griegst's fantastic creations represent the foundation of Danish jewellery art, and several of the greatest Danish jewellery designers of the time have been inspired by his innovative expression. This is craftsmanship of the very highest calibre," says Katrin Mikkelsen Sørensen.
An opal, pearl and diamond brooch in the shape of a flower. Estimate: 40.000-60.000 kr.
Faces as Inspiration
A large part of Arje Griegst's jewellery is made with the cire perdue technique – a technique that was traditionally used for casting bronze sculptures and is unusual in jewellery making. The technique gave Arje Griegst greater flexibility in the placement of the stones and a more spontaneous and artistic expression than traditional goldsmith methods. Faces appear repeatedly in Griegst's works, and many of them are self-portraits that depict emotions such as fear.
In the offered collection you will find, among other things, the unique pendant ”Nattens ansigt” (Face of the Night) in gold adorned with opals, seed pearls and diamonds. The pendant is believed to be inspired by Edvard Munk's famous painting "The Scream", and only three copies are known to exist. The estimated price is DKK 80,000-100,000.
The collection also consists of a tourmaline, mother-of-pearl and seed pearl necklace, a diamond brooch in the shape of a flower with a face, the opal and diamond ring "Lucy in the Sky", the bronze ring "Merman", a lapis lazuli and opal ring, a tourmaline pendant and an opal, sapphire and emerald pendants. These jewellery pieces are estimated at prices between DKK 15,000 and DKK 60,000.
The unique pendant ”Nattens ansigt” (Face of the Night). Estimate: 80.000-100.000 DKK.
Arje Griegst (1938-2016)
Artist and designer Arje Griegst apprenticed with the silversmith and artist Just Andersen in 1960 and opened his workshop in 1963. As the son of the goldsmith and chaser Baruch Griegst, who came to Denmark from Lithuania around 1900, Arje Griegst followed in his father's footsteps.
Griegst, in his fabulous and organic idiom, was inspired by nature, the ancient Greeks, Gaudi and the infinite galaxies. The lavish and fairy-tale style became his artistic trademark, which stood out from the otherwise stringent Scandinavian design tradition of the time. The style was closer to Baroque or Art Nouveau, with organic curves, swirling gold spirals, and faces that turn into garlands and bodies that turn into trees.
His creations are today represented in several recognized museums worldwide, including Design Museum Denmark, the National Museum in Stockholm, the V&A in London and the Metropolitan Museum in New York.
A lapis lazuli and opal ring set with carved lapis lazuli in the shape of a face. Estimate: 30.000-40.000 DKK.
The jewellery by Arje Griegst will be auctioned off at Bruun Rasmussen – Part of the Bonhams Network on 15 June in Copenhagen. They can be experienced at Bruun Rasmussen's preview from 7-11 June in Bredgade 33, Copenhagen and viewed at the auction house's website bruun-rasmussen.dk closer to the auction.
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"Going once, going twice. Sold to the lady in the front row”. For 75 years, Bruun Rasmussen Auctioneers has sold art, antiques, design, jewellery, wristwatches and collector’s items in the heart of Copenhagen. It was Arne Bruun Rasmussen who founded the auction house at Bredgade 33 in 1948, and until 2022 the Bruun Rasmussen family owned the company. Today, the company is owned by the British auction house Bonhams - one of the world's leading and oldest auction houses.
Being a part of Bonhams, means that Bruun Rasmussen has joined a global network, which benefits both the art and the customers, the latter has gained access to far more auctions and the former has a better chance of achieving the market's best hammer prices. The goal is to constantly confirm to our customers that Bruun Rasmussen is a sought-after auction house with the highest expertise in valuation and sales. Bonhams and Bruun Rasmussen share the core values of knowledge, credibility, commitment and renewal, and the old Copenhagen auction house will thus continue to base its business on its well-known values under the auspices of Bonhams.
With CEO Jakob Dupont at the helm, an extensive digitization process has taken place during the past years, making the auction house a significant player on the international market. With solid experience and in-depth knowledge complemented by highly professional advice and appraisal service, the company is the link between sellers and interested buyers from all over the world. Every year, 70,000 unique works of art are sold at two types of auctions – the traditional Live Auctions and the Online Auctions.
