Gijs Bakker was born in Amersfoort in 1942, works in Amsterdam. In '62 he graduated from the, nowadays known as, Rietveld Academy,  Amsterdam and in '63 he studied at the `Konstfack Skolan', Stockholm.

From '71-'78 he was a teacher at the Arnhem College of Art and from '87. He has been head of the `Man and Living' department of the `Academy for Industrial Design' Eindhoven. In 1980 he curated the travelling  exhibition `Design from the Netherlands'. Since '92 he has been design advisor for Ceramic Industry Cor Unum. In '93 he is founder  of `Droog Design'  and in '95 founder of `Chi ha paura...?'. 

Jewellery and design in collections include : Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam; Museum het Kruithuis, 's  Hertogenbosch; Powerhouse Museum, Sydney; Denver Museum of Art, Colorado; Cooper-Hewitt Museum, New York; Victoria and Albert  Museum, London.  Awards : 1996, RA Award '96, Amsterdam; 1995, Prins Bernhard Fonds Award for Applied Art and Architecture; 1988,  Françoise van den Bosch Award; 1983, Architecture Award, Foundation `De Fantasie', Almere.

Collection: CHP04, CHP06, CHP08, CHP15, CHP38, LE07 Rituals - Greetings Necklace, What's Luxury - Ring Real