AMONG FRIENDS is a homage to an extraordinary personality and a unique network of artistic friendships across the Atlantic. In our exhibition, we honor gallery owner, collector, and educator Helen W. Drutt, who has played a central role in international contemporary jewelry for decades—as a patron, mediator, and passionate bridge builder between the US and Germany.

On display is a high-carat selection from her private collection, featuring around 240 works by American and German jewelry artists. The works span a range from the pioneers of American studio jewelry in the 1960s to contemporary positions of younger generations. The focus is on jewelry as an artistic medium: the works tell stories, address social, political, and religious themes, and experiment with materials, techniques, and forms.

Iconic pieces of US jewelry are presented in dialogue with important German artists. Classic goldsmithing techniques meet narrative concepts, industrial found objects meet the finest surfaces, sculptural gestures meet intimate, personal statements. This juxtaposition reveals how diverse developments are on both sides of the Atlantic—supported by mutual appreciation, exchange, and friendship.

AMONG FRIENDS is thus more than an exhibition: it is a living portrait of a collector who not only preserves jewelry, but lives it, wears it, and transforms it into a cultural dialogue. An invitation to rediscover contemporary jewelry as an expression of attitude, history, and human closeness.