Biography
Emmy van Leersum (b. Hilversum, Netherlands 1930 - d. Amersfoort, Netherlands 1984) who trained at the Gerrit Rietveld Academie, Amsterdam (1958-1962) and Konstfack - Univeristy of Arts, Crafts and Design, Stockholm (1962-63) was a Dutch avant-garde jewellery and clothing designer whose work was last seen in her lifetime at the Jewelry International: Contemporary Trends exhibition in New York in 1984, organised by the American Craft Museum and curated by Helen Williams Drutt. She was married to the jeweller and industrial-designer Gijs Bakker (b. 1942) with whom she also colloborated creatively. The Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam presented The Gijs+Emmy Spectacle, Fashion and Jewelry design by Gijs Bakker and Emmy van Leersum in 2014. The exhibition was based on a legendary fashion show presented by the artist duo in 1967.
