Hiroshima mon amour thumbnail 1
Image of Gallery in South Kensington
On display at V&A South Kensington
Jewellery, Rooms 91, The William and Judith Bollinger Gallery

Hiroshima mon amour

Necklace
1987 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

The Swiss jeweller Bernhard Schobinger (born 1946) uses jewellery to explore a wide range of human experiences and emotions, often with powerful undercurrents of violence and destruction. His compositions, many of which incorporate found objects, are startling for their ability to combine the lyrical with the profoundly chilling. He is particularly drawn to Japan, a country he has lived in and visits each year. The necklace, with its shard of Japanese porcelain and fragments of zinc roof tiles, refers to the dropping of the atom bomb on Hiroshima, in 1945; its title 'Hiroshima mon amour' is taken from the 1959 film directed by Alan Resnais.


Object details

Categories
Object type
TitleHiroshima mon amour (assigned by artist)
Materials and techniques
Titanium zinc, porcelain, coral and silk
Brief description
'Hiroshima mon amour' necklace by Bernhard Schobinger, titanium zinc, porcelain and silk. Switzerland, 1987.
Physical description
Five irregular, flat panels of metal and one fragment of porcelain painted with two kimono-clad figures are threaded on red and white twisted silk cords, with a small coral bead at each end.
Dimensions
  • Length: 240mm
  • Height: 240mm
  • Depth: 8mm
When laid flat
Marks and inscriptions
HIROSHIMA MON AMOUR 1984 - 1987 (scratched on the reverse of one of the metal panels)
Summary
The Swiss jeweller Bernhard Schobinger (born 1946) uses jewellery to explore a wide range of human experiences and emotions, often with powerful undercurrents of violence and destruction. His compositions, many of which incorporate found objects, are startling for their ability to combine the lyrical with the profoundly chilling. He is particularly drawn to Japan, a country he has lived in and visits each year. The necklace, with its shard of Japanese porcelain and fragments of zinc roof tiles, refers to the dropping of the atom bomb on Hiroshima, in 1945; its title 'Hiroshima mon amour' is taken from the 1959 film directed by Alan Resnais.
Collection
Accession number
M.39-2010

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Record createdNovember 30, 2010
Record URL
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