Initially scheduled for 2020, the 3rd edition of the Biennale des Métiers d’Art will take place from 20 to 28 November 2021. Join us at 19Liberté, in the heart of Luxembourg, for a major new event dedicated to fine craftsmanship and exceptional know-how. Around one hundred artists and creators working in Luxembourg and the Greater Region will come together, alongside a selection of European talents, designers, workshops and manufacturers specially invited for the occasion.
138 Luxembourgish craftspeople or residents of the Grand Duchy responded to the 2020 call for applications, 51% of whom were applying for the first time. The selection committee met on 12 June 2020 at the Chambre des Métiers. It was composed of the following nine members:
- H.R.H. Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume of Luxembourg
- Mr Roland Kuhn, President of the association
- Ms Claudine Hemmer, Adviser at the Luxembourg Ministry of Culture
- Ms Christiane Sietzen, Cultural Coordinator for the City of Luxembourg
- Mr Jean-Marie Biwer, painter
- Mr Jean-Marc Dimanche, General Curator of DMDM
- Mr Benoit Hennaut, Director of La Cambre (Brussels)
- Mr François Valentiny, architect
- Mr Hubert Wurth, former Ambassador and self-taught artist
For this third edition, the jury selected 69 projects, once again highlighting an incredible diversity of skills and know-how, applied to materials as varied as wood, glass, metal, concrete, ceramics and felt.
This programme, originally conceived in 2020, has, as previously announced, been postponed unchanged to 2021.
“Viv(r)e la matière”
Since 2016, this major European event, created on the initiative of T.R.H. Prince Guillaume and Princess Stéphanie of Luxembourg, has aimed to showcase the country’s wealth of creative talent and to highlight the importance of passing on skills and know-how to younger generations.
With this third edition, the De Mains De Maîtres Biennale seeks to offer the broadest possible representation of what fine crafts are today: a world at the crossroads of art and craftsmanship, drawing its vitality and modernity from the transmission of gestures and the constant pursuit of innovation.
Jean-Marc Dimanche, curator of the exhibition, chose the theme “Viv(r)e la Matière” for the 2021 edition in order to celebrate both hand and mind, and to present to all audiences some of the rarest and most beautiful examples of fine craftsmanship.
As in 2018, the event will occupy the exhibition galleries and prestigious salons of 19Liberté, spanning several floors of the building. This year, it will also welcome four prestigious European schools that remain committed to preserving the transmission of skills and know-how, ensuring that our remarkable art of living continues to thrive.
Offering a true snapshot of contemporary creative and artisanal production in Luxembourg and Europe, this new edition will also extend, even more widely than in 2018, into museums, workshops and galleries across Luxembourg City.
Awards to celebrate talent
At the end of the event, two awards will recognise the quality, work and expertise of Luxembourgish fine craft practitioners exhibiting at the Biennale.
The first, the “RTL Prize”, is awarded based on public votes, while the second, the “Fondation Leir Jury Prize”, is selected by the members of the Committee.
Through the “Fondation Leir Jury Prize”, the charitable foundation expresses its support for De Mains De Maîtres Luxembourg, which, by celebrating Luxembourg craftsmanship, perfectly embodies the spirit and expertise that inspired Henry J. and Erna D. Leir during their lifetime.