Gijs Bakker

Who is Gijs Bakker?

Gijs Bakker was trained as a jewellery and industrial-designer at the Gerrit Rietveld Academie in Amsterdam, the Netherlands and the Konstfackskolan in Stockholm, Sweden. Bakker's designs cover jewellery, home accessories and household appliances, furniture, interiors, public spaces and exhibitions. He worked and works for numerous companies amongst which are Polaroid, Artifort, HEMA, Royal VKB, and ENO Studio.

In 1993 he founded Droog Design together with design critic and historian Renny Ramakers, a Dutch collective of designers, products and information. Together with Ramakers, he was the selector and art director of all products within Droog Design until 2009.

Bakker has also taught for more than 40 years at different schools, among others the Delft University of Technology. After teaching at the Design Academy Eindhoven for more than 15 years, he is now head of the Masters department IM.

Together with Italian gallery owner Marijke Vallanzasca, Bakker founded the Chi ha paura...? foundation in 1996. With Chi ha paura...? They wanted to show the international design world that a piece of jewellery is more than a decorative fashion accessory. With this CHP...? challenged the widespread fear for contemporary jewellery.