A man of protean talent, a collector of eclectic objects, antique machines, as well as a scholar with insatiable curiosity and a towering intellect, Daniel Brush believed fervently in the connection of mind, heart and hand. As a goldsmith and jeweler, he was entirely self-taught, making every work entirely by hand in the studio, exploring materials such as gold, steel, stainless steel and aluminum. There was never any preparation beforehand, no “design” or preparatory drawing, instead he worked straight into the material.

The exhibition showcases some hand-held objects and studies in steel and gold, pointing to the artist’s fascination with the goldwork of Antiquity. It unveils witty, whimsical animal brooches, ethereally beautiful jewels, or his exploration of Monet’s depictions and his own creative expressions of light.

The exhibition “Daniel Brush, the art of line and light” is intended to pose the same questions that preoccupied him. Does a jewel have to be worn? Can it be a hand-held object? Where does the jewel belong as an art form and is it a work of art? Where is the connection between art and jewelry?

Leitmotifs of line and light run through the exhibits: for Daniel Brush, this was the light of illumination and enlightenment, the light of the divine; the line related to breath, to poetry and creative dynamism, finding expression in his ink paintings, and the hand-engraved lines through which miraculously, the artist extracted radiant light and luminosity from industrial materials.