His jewellery is historic, and his future is assured.
Toni Tur, Jeweller and Sculptor, was born in Sant Josép, Eivissa, on 14th May 1964.
According to unanimous critics, he is one of our most talented artists of the new generation, a real and meritorious candidate to carry on with the Island's tradition as the home of exceptional artists, with a big creative potential and a very high artistic level.
He has a contagious vitality and creative energy that one can feel just by being by his side and somehow it can also be seen in his art, done with a lot of decision and clear ideas of the results wanted before he has even begun.
He also possesses a fine technique and a deep knowledge of the materials that he works with, developed from his early years working by his father's side (a good ebonist and carpenter, among other jobs).
His talent was enlarged and complemented afterwards with the four years that he spent as a pupil in the "Escuela Profesional de Joyería y Artesanía Platera" of the Hungarian jeweller master Esteban Platko, in Palma de Mallorca, in which, Toni passed his degrees, and obtained his diploma as a "Maestro Orfebre" (Gold and Silver Jeweller Master).
Platko's Jeweller and Silver-art-craft School, is unique in the Balearic Islands, the third one to be opened (and for some the best) of all Spain. Its pupils are very much appreciated by the jewellery industry; they find a place to work as soon as they pass their degrees and they are already working in different countries all over the world.
Back to Eivissa after his studies by the end of 1980s, Toni started working with his jewellery, inspired at the beginning by the ancestral Mediterranean cultures, including the autochthonous and mysterious "Emprendadas". They are little treasures made of gold, silver, and coral, kept in the families through generations. The Ibicencans show them off on very special occasions as part of the typical Ibicenco costume.
Toni is one of only two jewellers that make this kind of jewellery in Eivissa in the artisan ancestral way, in the entire world. (The Ibicenco jewellery has been copied and is being made by industrial ways in mainland Spain and other countries, to be sold in jewellers as expensive souvenirs).
The real origin of s'Emprendada is a mystery. Toni keeps his own opinion about it. "The Roman and Carthaginian women used to wear several collars, basically for aesthetic function, on which they hung images of their goddesses Aphrodite or Tanit. Over time they became Christian, so the Cross and the Joia (medallion with a sacred image, normally the Virgin Mary) took its place. For example, the emprendada made of silver and coral have the structure of a rosary, the coral stones displayed in such a way that the one who wears it can follow the number of prayers in the rosary."
Toni produced several copies in silver based on the Punic jewellery, to be exhibit in the Escuela de Artes y Oficios d'Eivissa (Eivissa's Art School) for the special event The Punic World,
Meanwhile he was also producing his own designs, with a very personal style, done with a combination of materials, normally silver with coral or bits of wood, such as "juniper," "sabina" and "olive", the same wood that he used later for his sculptures.
But Toni, as a real artist, is full of creativity and very curious; he can't stop investigating for a larger and deeper manifestation of his art.
"The artist has to follow his own evolution. If one stops his own progression becomes dull and boring, with nothing new to communicate. One should never stop learning and be surprised. The ones who say that they can't be surprised anymore, can't either progress or even create any longer."
This is, in his own words, what moved him to start with his wood sculptures and with the new art-pieces that he is doing at present. They again are a combination of materials, metals, and tinted wood, following his very personal line and style. In fact, there is a clearly defined line in every one of Toni's art-pieces. This applies from the micro-art of the jewellery up to his latest sculpture, though this line seems to be growing. It is like it is newborn, recreated, and for every new version of it, in every new work, a very personal design and techniques that makes him so singular as an artist.
Toni Tur will hopefully exhibit his new artworks from the beginning of this next May, in Santa Eulàri, Eivissa. I'm one hundred percent sure that it will be a complete success, as in his previous exhibitions. It is the kind of event that local artists and art-lovers look for and wouldn't miss.
Exhibitions
1987
Exhibition of jewellery in Baleart 87, Palma de Mallorca.
Exhibition of jewellery in the Sala de Exposiciones, Sant Josép, Eivissa.
1994
Collective exhibition, sculptures, Art Nou in the Sala de Exposiciones, Sant Josép, Eivissa.
(Here, Toni presented his firsts big sculptures in wood)
Collective exhibition in Can Pujol, Sant Agnés, Eivissa.
1995
Exhibition in the Galería Marta Torres, Eivissa.
(La materia de la fusta. This was the first individual exhibition of his sculptures).
1995
Collective exhibition, jewellery and sculptures, in the Galería Marta Torres, Eivissa.
1995
Collective exhibition, jewellery, Mon Púnic in the Sala de Artes y Oficios, Eivissa
(Here, Toni present original reproductions and also his own creations in jewellery based on the ancestral Carthaginian designs).
1996
Collective exhibition 33 artistes del fi del mil-leni in the Gallery l'Espiral, Eivissa
(33 artist of the end of the Millennium).
1997
Collective exhibition, sculptures, Arte de Cielo y Tierra in Es Cubell, Eivissa.
1999
Exhibition, sculptures, in the Fira d'Art d'Eivissa in the Marta Torres Gallery's stand".
All Pictures Courtesy of Toni Tur
José P Ribas