Karl Fritsch
Germany/New Zealand, b. 1963
Karl Fritsch is a German-born, New Zealand based artist renowned for his iconoclastic reinterpretations of jewellery tradition. Using precious materials – gold, diamonds, sapphires – alongside semi-precious and synthetic stones, silver and even aluminium, Karl’s forms challenge accepted notions of preciousness and beauty with wit and irreverence. His highly covetable rings have seen him win numerous awards, including the Francoise van den Bosch Award (2006), and become a cult figure in contemporary jewellery.
Karl began his education at the Goldsmiths School in Pforzheim and later studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Munich under Professors Hermann Jünger and Otto Künzli. Fritsch exhibits internationally, at fine art galleries and jewellery galleries alike. His work has been acquired by leading international museums and public collections including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; the Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam; Pinakothek of Modern Art, Munich; Museum für Kunst und Gewerbe, Hamburg; Museum of Fine Arts, Houston; Museum Turnov/Czech Republic; Museum of Decorative Arts, Montréal/Canada; Victoria and Albert Museum, London; National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne; Auckland Museum, New Zealand and Te Papa National Museum, Wellington.
“What I find really fascinating, and one of the reasons why it’s so interesting to make jewellery, is the moment of recognition when something that comes across cute and pretty has on second glimpse an almost obscene grotesqueness.” Karl Fritsch
Artists
- Peter Bauhuis
- Godwin Baum
- David Bielander
- Julie Blyfield
- Helen Britton
- David Clarke
- Simon Cottrell
- Jess Dare
- Maureen Faye-Chauhan
- Katrin Feulner
- Emma Fielden
- Benedikt Fischer
- Warwick Freeman
- Karl Fritsch
- Kiko Gianocca
- Marcos Guzman
- Therese Hilbert
- Marian Hosking
- Jiro Kamata
- Inari Kiuru
- Daniel Kruger
- Otto Künzli
- Akiko Kurihara
- Lore Langendries
- Sue Lorraine
- Carlier Makigawa
- Sally Marsland
- Craig McIntosh
- Yutaka Minegishi
- Marc Monzó
- Thanh-Truc Nguyen
- Noon Passama
- The Estate of Lucy Sarneel
- Henriette Schuster
- Blanche Tilden
- Catherine Truman
- Manon van Kouswijk
- Lisa Walker
More work by Karl Fritsch
Ring #700 ,
2019, silver, sapphires ,
Ring #443 ,
2018, 18k gold, 14k gold, diamonds ,
Ring #001 ,
1993, 18k gold ,
Ring #305 ,
2014, silver, cubic zirconia ,
Ring #401 ,
2007, 18k palladium white gold ,
Ring #432 ,
2018, silver, 9k gold ,
Ring #328 ,
2013, silver, brass, diamonds ,
Ring #319 ,
2011, silver, copper, gold, brass, diamond, rubies, sapphires ,
Ring #393 ,
2013, 18k gold, diamonds ,
Ring #291 ,
2007, silver, diamonds ,
Ring #361 ,
2015, 9k palladium white gold, diamonds ,
Ring #254 ,
2010, blackened silver, black diamonds ,
Ring #431 ,
2017, silver ,
Ring #364 ,
2015, silver, niello, coloured diamonds ,
Ring #294 ,
2011, silver, sapphires ,
Ring #437 ,
2017, Roman bronze ring (BC) ,
Ring #377 ,
2013, 9k palladium white gold, red diamond, cubic zirconia ,
Ring #397 ,
2011, silver, diamond, rubies, sapphires, peridot ,
Ring #416 ,
2017, silver ,
Ring #418 ,
2017, 9k gold ,
Ring #419 ,
2017, silver ,
Ring #425 ,
2017, silver, sapphires, diamonds ,
Ring #468 ,
2019, silver, cubic zirconia ,
Ring #441 ,
2013, silver, diamonds ,
Ring #442 ,
2018, 18k gold ,
Ring #430 ,
2017, shibuichi ,
Ring #486 ,
2019, 9k palladium white gold, rubies ,
Ring #412 ,
2016, silver, niello, gold quartz ,
Ring #421 ,
2017, silver, sapphires ,
Ring #451 ,
2019, 9k palladium white gold, cubic zirconia ,
Ring #453 ,
2019, silver, cubic zirconia ,
Ring #463 ,
2019, 9k palladium white gold ,
Ring #460 ,
2019, silver, niello, synthetic ruby ,
Ring #458 ,
2019, silver, cubic zirconia ,
Ring #455 ,
2019, 18k gold, cubic zirconia ,
Ring #470 ,
2019, 9k gold, cubic zirconia ,
Ring #346 ,
2014, aluminium, cubic zirconia ,
Ring #338 ,
2014, aluminium, cubic zirconia ,
Ring #471 ,
2019, silver, cubic zirconia ,
Ring #472 ,
2019, silver, ruby ,
Ring #494 ,
2019, silver, chrysoprase ,
