Robert Baines: Metal

BACKGROUND Baines is widely recognised as Australia's leading goldsmith and jeweller and craftsman with a deep knowledge of craft techniques and materials informing his practice. A Churchill Fellowship in 1979 enabled Baines to investigate the goldsmithing techniques of Etruscan and Greek jewellers. This was the beginning of significant research throughout his career into historical metal techniques and an interest in the traditions of jewellery and its origins and he is now considered an authority on metallurgy . His exceptional craft skills and extraordinary body of work are recognised in Museum collections around the world and honoured through Object Gallery's Living Treasures: Masters of Australian Craft series, 2005-11. CONTRIBUTION For decades, Robert Baines has profoundly shaped Australian jewellery, object- making and international historical scholarship. With wry humour, his works challenge our conception of the world as much as they delight with their technical brilliance. His multifaceted research encompasses his work as an artist-goldsmith, scholarship in archeometallurgy, and ongoing criticism and commentary in the field of contemporary crafts. The exhibition brought together 85 retrospective and new pieces exploring themes of travel, exploration of narratives around historical artefacts and artifices, and miniature and larger sculpture, as well as interpretations of colour through the expected and unexpected. SIGNIFICANCE This national touring exhibition, went to 10 venues. Baines joined a select number of outstanding Australian craftspeople recognised as a 'living treasure'.