The Emerging Industries Area wishes to express its deepest condolences for the passing of Raúl Célery, a renowned and respected Master Copper Craftsman with a long career.
Since the 1960s, Célery dedicated himself to copper craftsmanship in a manual and artisanal way, achieving exclusive designs and models for home decoration, household items and personal use.
He maintained his copper craft workshop for more than 45 years in the same place (Refugios de Arrayán 15752) where he created his objects, one by one, completely by hand, with dedication and craft.
He was distinguished in 2007 at the National Museum of Fine Arts on National Artisan Day, for taking his works to many parts of the world, as well as being an obligatory reference and trainer of a large part of the goldsmiths of our country.
The Emerging Industries Area extends its condolences for this sensitive loss to his loved ones, friends, colleagues and all those who knew and admired his work.
Copper Crafts Raúl Célèry Z.
Los Refugios del Arrayán 15752 (El Remanso)
Lo Barnechea
Santiago Metropolitan
Chile
Craftsman: Raúl Celery (1922-2011), famous architect recognized worldwide, carried out by hand the works in copper and forged iron of the two lanterns of the entrance, the magnificent lamp of the dining room in copper and lazuli pencil, the grille of the scale and the five plafonier of the 2nd floor, the lantern and the grill with hammered copper bell of the quincho.
RAUL CELERY
Santiago - Goldsmith craftsman
Prophetically he expressed in a video "now regarding the legacy of my craft I will have left my town more craft than when I left" he was born on March 7, 1922 in San Bernardo son of Chileans but of foreign grandparents; He was born to copper crafts 40 years later, finding himself in this material that gave him so much satisfaction, as well as opening great possibilities to the generations of artisans that followed him.
Raul Celery called the copper artisan, the artisan of the Arrayan, self-taught, with the hammer in one hand and the Bible in the other hand, quite a character who led this noble material, copper, to the highest results. But that in those years, even though Chile was the country of copper, it was not a well-considered material, it became known with its first embossing at the first Forest Park Fairs (1959 or 1960) organized by Dn German Gassman and later by Lorenzo Berg, a fact that he was proud of
His hammered and infinitely embossed copper works were expressed with greater force, in the vessels and replicas of colonial pitchers, made in one piece, starting from a thick sheet of copper, with skillfully synchronized hammer blows he told his students "feel the rhythm, metal speaks to you” his pitchers topped by incredibly decorative handles made of roots, naturally twisted and as if truly set to his works, typical of his highly artistic imagination, as well as countless other designs with that mixture of finesse and strength that he knew how to give to your pieces
Raul Celery never lavished himself commercially, he worked on each of his pieces with such skill and dedication that they were all unique pieces, all worked by hand, he was one of the few artisans who demanded dignity for his work, he calculated his hours of work. He worked and earned according to his accounts, he always sold directly, he never sold to the trade He made and participated in innumerable exhibitions at the Chilean-British Institute, at Codelco, in as many places of category he could find with great public success and sales
He was not only an artisan, he wanted to transfer his knowledge and techniques of copper to others, he participated in the creation of the Coya Goldsmiths School sponsored by the Pro O'Higgins Corporation in the vicinity of Rancagua in 1993 he gave a first course in his craft in copper in the most precarious conditions and in the year 2001 the school was consolidated and classes began
Another incredible facet of Raúl was his tireless patience in defending the dignity of Crafts, with handwritten letters he participated in Seminars, requested audiences with Ministers, Directors, businessmen, and approached whoever was necessary to request support defending Crafts. He was a founding craftsman of the College of Professional Craftsmen of Chile
. A great teacher, kind, generous, internationally recognized, he taught by sharing his techniques, without measuring time or hours; those who were his students, young and not so young, artisans already trained in his mystique of copper, remember him with great affection, as well as his friends from those years of adventures through the Popular Art Fairs of the Forest Park, he will always be in our memory like so many other teachers who dignified this trade of Crafts, because unfortunately in March 2011 he left us forever. He left taking his dream with him: A COPPER MUSEUM FOR CHILE, he stated “how come the country of copper doesn't have a Copper Museum? “ Will we be able to achieve your dream?
- Alice Caceres.