Karl Fritsch

Simultaneously celebrating and discarding the traditions of jewelry making,  Karl Fritsch began his education at the Goldsmiths School in Pforzheim, Germany, followed by studies at the Academy of Fine Arts (1987-1994) in Munich. Fritsch has exhibited internationally and taught in art schools around the world, with his work finding its way into countless public collections including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, the Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam, the Victoria and Albert Museum, London and the National Gallery of Victoria and Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa. 

A practice that focuses on the ring, Fritsch explores taste, aesthetics and desire as he manipulates perceived ideas of preciousness and convention. The highly covetable rings have seen him win numerous awards and become a cult figure in contemporary jewelry. He also works collaboratively with a range of artists, including artist Francis Upritchard and furniture designer Martino Gamper.

In 2006 Fritsch received the highly prestigious international Françoise van den Bosch Award and in 2024 he was a finalist in the LOEWE craft prize exhibition at Palais de Tokyo in Paris.  

in 2009 Karl Fritsch left Germany to live and work in New Zealand.