The artist: VICENTE GRACIA

The beginning

Vicente Gracia was born in Valencia on March 8, 1961 He is the middle son of Francisco Gracia, jeweler and self-made businessman, and Trinidad Bensa. He spent his childhood between the family home in the Ruzafa´s neighborhood (Valencia) with his mother, aunts and cousins ​​ around the sewing workshop of his aunt Manolita, and the workshop of his father where the jewels of the Valencian aristocracy were restored.

Passionate about music and design, he began to stand out during the transition to democracy lived in Spain, where the fashionable store “El Señor del Caballito”, owned by the Errando Mariscal brothers, acted as the epicenter of new trends in Valencia. Trained at “Massana School of Art and Design” in Barcelona, he ​​ enjoyed a free and creative artistic education where artists such as Joan Miro and Antoni Tapies were his teachers.

His first collection,“El Reóforo”,was made from copper and electrical transmitters, along with gold and silver and was the avant-garde collection that made him win the Spanish National Design Award(1986). This led him to be fully integrated in the Movida, the counterculture movement that emerged after Franco’s regime. Together with Joaquin Berao, Oriol Bohigas, Lucia Dominguín, Ana Saura and Paloma Picasso, he was part of “Espacio 12”, founded by Manuel Carrera with the objective of increasing innovation within jewelry design. He also directed “Cuaderno de Tendencias” in the Jewelry Fair of Valencia, Fijova.

Tradition and Modernity

In 1992 the opening of the new store at Paz Street, as showroom and exhibition space, allowed him to achieve the perfect combination between tradition and modernity. He designs the Book-Jewel of the Fifth Centenary of the Virgin of Valencia in favor of Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF); he is responsible of celebrating the 35 anniversary of the Barbie doll by Mattel, making her wear his earrings and bracelets; he exhibits Silver from the Tsars, jewels of the Valencian tradition, pieces by the modernist Lluís Masriera, paintings by Segrelles, automatons and music boxes from Switzerland,…

Highly active, he has participated in special projects such as Honeymoon, the wedding of New York’s Statue of Liberty and the Columbus Statue of Barcelona (1992) with rings designed by Chus Bures, or the artistic direction of the Lladro collection Legend (1998-2005) with biscuit porcelain, gold and precious stones, worthy of the Renaissance Princes, in the opinion of Harrods Department Stores. Harrods.

Inspiration

He explores the roots of the Hispanic Islamic Culture and Sufi Poetry, finding a new way of creation, full of color and with the magical touch of the Arabian Nights. He is specialized in designing exclusive jewelry, connecting with the feminine soul and with women who wear his rings, earrings and bracelets. He has created jewels for Michael Jackson, Daniel Craig, Andie McDowell, Queen Sofía and Queen Letizia of Spain, Daryl Hannah, Larry Page, Ted Turner and the Aga Khan.

After receiving support from Vogue Internationaland Vogue Giogiello, he was invited to exhibit in Milan, Porto Cervo and London. In 2005 John Souglides names him part of the “Art Jewel Movement” and from 2008 he starts participating in Christie’s auctions worldwide. His creations have been sold in Barneys, Octium (the artistic project of the Kuwaiti Royal Family) andNeiman Marcus. In 2010, he joined Quintessentially, Tom Parker-Bowles exhibition at the exclusive Burj Al Arab Hotel in Dubai. Juliet Weir- de la Rochefoucauld includes Vicente Gracia among the best jewelry designers of the 21st century and refers to him as The Storyteller. In 2013 he participates in the exhibition “Sorolla in America” at the Meadows Museum of Dallas with jewelry inspired by the Mediterranean Culture.