E.R. Nele (b. 1932)

E. R. Nele (Eva Renée), born in 1932, is an award-winning German sculptor, printmaker, designer, educator, and studio jeweler. She was born in Berlin and currently resides in Frankfurt am Main. She was educated at the Hochschule für Bildende Künste, Berlin; Studio Lacourière, Paris; and, from 1950 to 1955, the Central School of Arts and Crafts, London, where she was a friend and contemporary of Gerda Flöckinger.

Upon graduating from the Central School of Arts and Crafts, she actively created jewelry characterized by twisted gold wire, often in openwork patterns. A neckpiece with which she won the Gold Medal at the Milan Triennale in 1957 is currently in the collection of the Victoria & Albert Museum, London. Like many of her contemporaries, she was included in the International Exhibition of Modern Jewellery, curated by Graham Hughes at the Goldsmiths' Company in 1961.

Prior to this, however, she made pieces for Pablo Picasso, whom she presumably met while studying printmaking at Studio Lacourière (where Matisse, Picasso, Vollard, and other artists also worked). While creating jewelry, she also worked in other media, actively exhibiting her work and participating in several editions of Documenta in Kassel, Germany—an event founded by her father, Arnold Bode.

Throughout her illustrious career, she has participated in over 100 international solo and group exhibitions. Her work can be found in numerous private and public collections, including the Neue Pinakothek, Munich; Schmuckmuseum, Pforzheim; Victoria and Albert Museum, London; Goldsmiths’ Hall, London; and the MMK – Museum für Moderne Kunst, Frankfurt am Main. Nele is also an Honorary Member of Goldsmiths’ Hall, London.