Elizabeth Fritsch is born in 1940 in Shropshire, England, UK. She studied at the Royal Academy of Music (harp and piano) from 1958 to 1964. But later she took up ceramics under Hans Coper and Eduardo Paolozzi at the Royal College of Art from 1968 to 1971. She was one of a group of outstanding women ceramists who emerged from the RCA in that period. She established a workshop in east London in 1985. Since her first show in 1972, Fritsch has had a number of solo shows. In 1996 and 2001 she was shortlisted for the Jerwood Prize for Ceramics. Her work is represented in major collections in Britain and abroad and she is one of the most highly valued contemporary ceramic artists (source: www.elisabethfritsch.com)
Fritschs' work is represented in major collections and museums around the world and in Britain. Recently a major retrospective was held at the National Museum Cardiff, UK, in 2010, featuring a complete range of her most significant studio pottery and recent pieces where she also considered 'the space between the second and third dimensions', a concept she first described as ‘two-and-a-half dimensions’. 'Dynamic Structures: Painted Vessels' also marked her 70th birthday.
Images: Portrait Elizabeth Fritsch (source Adrian Sassoon Gallery); vase circa 2010 (source Museum Wales); object (MAAK London sold 2011); object (MAAK London sold 2017).
Work of the artist:
She makes hand built vessel forms with strong architectonic qualities, which she prefers to show in subtly arranged groups designed to highlight the geometric shapes and decoration. The decorations are with dry matt slips, in colours unusual for ceramics; the early work uses pale colours, then for a number of years she used stronger blues and green and more recently she has turned to monochrome forms. This decoration is often influenced by music, painting and literature.
Elizabeth Fritsch is born in 1940 in Shropshire, England, UK. She studied at the Royal Academy of Music (harp and piano) from 1958 to 1964. But later she took up ceramics under Hans Coper and Eduardo Paolozzi at the Royal College of Art from 1968 to 1971. She was one of a group of outstanding women ceramists who emerged from the RCA in that period. She established a workshop in east London in 1985. Since her first show in 1972, Fritsch has had a number of solo shows. In 1996 and 2001 she was shortlisted for the Jerwood Prize for Ceramics. Her work is represented in major collections in Britain and abroad and she is one of the most highly valued contemporary ceramic artists (source: www.elisabethfritsch.com)
Fritschs' work is represented in major collections and museums around the world and in Britain. Recently a major retrospective was held at the National Museum Cardiff, UK, in 2010, featuring a complete range of her most significant studio pottery and recent pieces where she also considered 'the space between the second and third dimensions', a concept she first described as ‘two-and-a-half dimensions’. 'Dynamic Structures: Painted Vessels' also marked her 70th birthday.
Images: Portrait Elizabeth Fritsch (source Adrian Sassoon Gallery); vase circa 2010 (source Museum Wales); object (MAAK London sold 2011); object (MAAK London sold 2017).
She makes hand built vessel forms with strong architectonic qualities, which she prefers to show in subtly arranged groups designed to highlight the geometric shapes and decoration. The decorations are with dry matt slips, in colours unusual for ceramics; the early work uses pale colours, then for a number of years she used stronger blues and green and more recently she has turned to monochrome forms. This decoration is often influenced by music, painting and literature.