The occasional but fruitful approach by artists to the world of jewellery is the central theme of this exhibition, the first on this subject to be held in our country. In it you can admire more than 300 works by Catalan as well as international artists who led the different trends that proliferated during the fertile 20th century. The MNAC has gathered original designs by Hector Guimard, Josep Llimona, Manolo Hugué, Pablo Gargallo, Salvador Dalí, Georges Braque, Alexander Calder, Pablo Picasso and others, from public institutions and museums all over the world and from private collections and the Museum’s own collections.

The items of jewellery being exhibited give us a picture in small format of the artistic character of their creators and at the same time strike a dialogue with other works by them (paintings, sculptures, photographs, fabrics and art objects), thereby highlighting this less well known facet and creating an interdisciplinary exchange amongst the arts.

As a prelude, we are exhibiting creations by jewellers from René Lalique or Lluís Masriera to Ramon Sunyer, Jaume Mercadé or Manuel Capdevila, who made jewellery a highly creative area receptive to the influence of trends in the arts. Finally, a selection of clothing and visions of the female universe captured by great photographers such as Steichen, Man Ray, Josep Sala or George Hoyningen-Huené illustrate the Alliance between jewels and the body.