There are jewels that transcend fashions and end up becoming part of the history of a family. Pieces that pass from one generation to another, preserve memories and, on occasion, acquire a value that goes far beyond the materials from which they are made. That capacity of jewelry to tell stories is the starting point of A Dialogue with Art, the exhibition with which Suarez celebrates its more than eight decades of activity in collaboration with the Lázaro Galdiano Museum in Madrid.
The historic Spanish jewelry house has chosen one of the capital’s most distinctive museums to present a selection of its creations alongside some of the artworks that form part of the institution’s permanent collection. The opening was accompanied by a private dinner that gathered numerous personalities from the worlds of fashion, culture and society. Beatrice Borromeo, Sassa de Osma, Alex Rivière and Mónica Anoz or Inés de Cominges were among the guests at a celebration where Sinfonía, the firm’s new collection, was also presented.
Thus is “A Dialogue with Art,” Suarez’s exhibition in Madrid
Curated by Eloy Martínez de la Pera, the exhibition brings together for the first time a broad selection of historical jewelry and contemporary designs by Suarez, presented alongside works belonging to the Lázaro Galdiano Museum.
The journey establishes connections between the firm’s creations and paintings by artists such as Sofonisba Anguissola, Juan Carreño de Miranda, Claudio Coello, Luis Paret, or Federico and Raimundo de Madrazo. The color of the gemstones, the light, the materials and the symbols present in the works allow finding points of contact between pieces made in very different moments of history.
But the exhibition does not stop at its aesthetic dimension alone. It also invites reflection on the role that jewelry has played as symbols of power, elements of personal identity and objects loaded with sentimental meaning.
Mónica Anoz during the opening event of Suarez’s exhibition.
Another one of its most interesting aspects is the attention given to the creation process. The knowledge of artisans, the tools and traditional techniques take center stage in a journey that defends the work behind each piece and its transmission between generations.
The story of Suarez, from a Bilbao jewelry shop to more than 80 years of legacy
The history of Suarez began in 1943, when Emiliano Suárez Faffián opened his first jewelry shop in Bilbao. What started as a small family business would over the decades become one of Spain’s most renowned high-jewelry houses.
From its beginnings, the firm has built its identity around artisanal work, the selection of precious stones and the creation of designs that seek to stay relevant beyond trends.
Three generations of the Suárez family have participated in the evolution of the house, which has managed to broaden its creative universe without losing ties to its origins. That family continuity also explains the firm’s interest in memory and heritage, two concepts especially present in this exhibition.
Through the selected pieces one can observe how forms, tastes and ways of wearing jewelry have changed over more than eighty years. At the same time, the journey allows recognizing the importance of a craft in which many traditional techniques remain fundamental.
Why the Lázaro Galdiano Museum is the chosen venue
The collaboration between Suarez and the Lázaro Galdiano Museum finds one of its main points of union in the importance both institutions place on heritage conservation.
The museum has its origins in the private collection of José Lázaro Galdiano, editor and passionate art collector, and his wife Paula Florido, who also played an active role in shaping this extraordinary artistic ensemble.
Laura Ponte at the Suarez exhibition.
Located in the former family palace of Parque Florido, in Madrid, it opened to the public in 1951. It currently preserves more than 12,600 pieces, including paintings, sculptures, jewelry, textiles, silverwork and other artistic objects, allowing visitors to travel through different eras and styles.
The presence of jewelry and decorative arts within its holdings makes the encounter with Suarez especially interesting. Rather than presenting the firm’s creations in isolation, the exhibition integrates them into an artistic context that reveals new relationships between disciplines.
Beatrice Borromeo, Sassa de Osma and the guests at the inauguration
The opening of A Dialogue with Art also became a prominent social occasion. Suarez organized a private dinner at the Lázaro Galdiano Museum to which many friends and ambassadors of the firm, as well as representatives from the worlds of culture and fashion, attended.
Beatrice Borromeo was one of the evening’s main protagonists, wearing some of the pieces from Sinfonía, Suarez’s new collection developed together with Amfitheatrof Studio, the creative studio founded by designer Francesca Amfitheatrof.
Beatrice Borromeo with some of the Sinfonía pieces from Suarez’s new collection designed with Amfitheatrof Studio.
The brand took advantage of the occasion to present this line to the public for the first time. A collection that combines the house’s jewelry tradition with a contemporary design vision and that also holds a place within the exhibition’s circuit.
Guests at Suarez’s 80th anniversary exhibition.
Alongside Borromeo were Sassa de Osma, Alex Rivière, Alejandra de Rojas, Laura Ponte, Laura Vecino and Claudia Osborne. The celebration also welcomed Inés de Cominges, Inés Martín Alcalde, Lulu Figueroa, Vega Royo-Villanova, Rafael Medina and other personalities connected to the firm.
How long can the exhibition be visited?
The exhibition can be visited until October 25, 2026 at the Lázaro Galdiano Museum in Madrid. An opportunity to discover up close some of the creations that have marked Suarez’s trajectory and to see that, behind a jewel, there can also be a museum-worthy story.
