Elisabeth Holder trained as a goldsmith and studied at the Düsseldorf University of Applied Sciences from 1974 until 1978. In 1980 she completed her postgraduate studies at the Royal College of Art in London, where she was awarded an M.A. From 1980 to 1988 she worked as a freelancer in London and also held a number of lecturing and teaching posts, including on at the Royal College of Art. In 1988 she was appointed Professor for Jewellery and Contextual Art at the Düsseldorf University of Applied Science. She works as an artist and engages in a variety of project-based activities.