OTTO KüNZLI

Otto Künzli.
Otto Künzli, 1948 Switzerland is one of the most renowned and respected jewellers working today. The Swiss-trained, Munich-based artist has created truly iconic examples of contemporary jewellery. Künzli’s minimalist, yet meticulously crafted work references cultural phenomena, utilising the power of metaphor and iconography with wit and sophistication. As director of the Jewellery department at the Akademie der Bildenden Künste Munich from 1991 to 2014, he taught a number of prominent contemporary jewellers including Lisa Walker, Karl Fritsch and Helen Britton.  In March 2013 his major retrospective titled The Exhibition showcased his extensive ouerve and was accompanied by The Book, a comprehensive catalogue documenting a career spanning over 40 years.


Public collections:
Rijksmueum Museum, Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Gemeentelijk van Reekummuseum, Apeldoorn, the Netherlands. Auckland Museum, Auckland, New Zealand. Kunstgewerbemuseum, Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, Germany. Bundesamt für Kultur, Bern, Switzerland. Kantonale Sammlung angewandte Kunst, Kornhausforum, Bern, Switzerland. Schweizerische Eidgenossenschaft, Bern, Switzerland. Lake Macquarie City Art Gallery, Booragul, NSW, Australia. Museum of Fine Arts, The Farago Collection, Boston, USA. Collection de la Ville de Cagnes-sur-Mer, France. Canberra Institute of the Arts, Canberra, Australia. National Gallery of Canberra, Australia. Kolumba, Kunstmuseum des Erzbistums Köln, Cologne, Germany. Dallas Museum of Art, The Edward W. and Deedie Potter Rose Collection, Dallas, USA. The Detroit Institute of Arts, Detroit, USA. Museum für Angewandte Kunst, Frankfurt am Main, Germany. Ke lvingrove Museum and Art Gallery, Glasgow, UK. Museum für Kunst und Gewerbe, Hamburg, Germany. Deutsches Goldschmiedehaus, Hanau, Germany. Designmuseo, Helsinki, Finland. Design Museum Den Bosch, ’s-Hertogenbosch, the Netherlands. The Museum of Fine Arts, The Helen Williams Drutt Collection, Houston, USA. Israel Museum, Jerusalem, Israel. Deutsches Tapetenmuseum, Kassel, Germany. The National Museum of Modern Art, Kyoto, Japan. mudac – Musée de design et d’arts appliqués contemporains, Lausanne, Switzerland. Spencer Museum of Art, Lawrence, Kansas, USA. Grassi Museum für angewandte Kunst, Leipzig, Deutschland. Galeria Sztuki, Legnica, Poland. Conran Foundation Collection, Design Museum, London, UK. The Royal College of Art Collection, London, UK. Victoria and Albert Museum, London, UK. LACMA, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, The Lois Boardman Collection, Los Angeles, USA. National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne, Australia. Cleveland Crafts Centre, Cleveland County Collection, Middlesbrough, UK. mima – Middlesbrough Institute of Modern Art, Middlesbrough, UK. Die Neue Sammlung – The International Design Museum Munich, Germany. Die Neue Sammlung – The International Design Museum Munich, Dauerleihgabe der Danner-Stiftung, Munich, Germany. Münchner Stadtmuseum, Munich, Germany. Städtische Galerie im Lenbachhaus, Munich, Germany. Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum, The Susan Grant Lewin Collection, New York, USA. Museum of Arts and Design, New York, USA. Museum of Arts and Design, The Donna Schneier Collection, New York, USA. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Donna Schneier Collection, New York, USA. Le Ministère de la Culture, Centre National des Arts, Paris, France. Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Paris, France. Schmuckmuseum im Reuchlinhaus, Pforzheim, Germany. Schmuckmuseum im Reuchlinhaus, Pforzheim, Dauerleihgabe des Institut für Auslandsbeziehungen, Stuttgart, Germany. Powerhouse Museum, Sydney, Australia. The Hiko Mizuno Collection, Tokyo, Japan. The National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo, Japan. Tokyo Metropolitan Teien Art Museum, Tokyo, Japan. Nordenfjeldske Kunstindustrimuseum, Trondheim, Norway. Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, Wellington, New Zealand. Gewerbemuseum Winterthur, Switzerland. Schweizerisches Landesmuseum, Zurich, Switzerland.

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Awards:
 
1972 Stipend of the Departement of Home Affairs, Bern, Switzerland
1975 1st Prize in the Design-Wettbewerb Music-Award, Deutsche Phono- Akademie, Hamburg, Germany
1976 Achievement of the Schule für Gestaltung Zürich, Switzerland
1977 Herbert Hofmann Memorial Award, International Handwerksmesse, Germany
1978 Stipend from the Federal Department of Home Affairs, Bern, Switzerland
1980 Stipend for Fine Arts of the State Capital Munich, Germany
1981 Stipend of the Departement of Home Affairs, Bern, Switzerland
1986 Sponsorship Award from the Prinzregent-Luitpold-Stiftung, Munich, Germany         
1987 Sponsorship Award for the Applied Arts of the State Capital Munich, Germany                       
1990 Françoise van den Bosch Prize, the Netherlands                        
2008 Red Dot Award Communication Design for the exhibition design Des Wahnsinns fette Beute. Schmuck an der Akademie der Bildenden Künste München: Die Klasse Künzli. Die Neue Sammlung – The International Design Museum, Germany                   
2008 Winner of the Gallery Funaki International Jewellery Award, Melbourne, Australia          
2010 German Design Award, Silver, for the exhibition Des Wahnsinns fette Beute. Schmuck an der Akademie der Bildenden Künste München: Die Klasse Künzli. Die Neue Sammlung – The International Design Museum, Germany
2010 Grand Prix Design of the Swiss Confederation, Federal Office for Culture Bern, Switzerland   
2011 Ring of Honour from the Association for Goldsmiths’ Art, Hanau,  Germany
2014 Entry in the Golden Book of the City of Hanau, Germany
2017 Designpreis der Landeshauptstadt München, Munich, Germany
2018 Bayerischer Staatspreis, Bavaria, Germany


Solo Exhibitions:
 
1979 Schmuckmuseum im Reuchlinhaus, Pforzheim, Germany; Deutsches Goldschmiedehaus, Hanau, Germany; and Galerie Alberstrasse, Graz, Austria (trav. exh. until 1980; with Therese Hilbert)
1980 Schmuckhaus, Darmstadt-Eberstadt, Germany (with Therese Hilbert)
1981 Galerie Ra, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
1981 Galerie Academia, Salzburg, Austria (with Therese Hilbert)
1982 Körperkultur. Otto Künzli, Gerd Rothmann. Galerieam Graben, Vienna, Austria; and Landesmuseum für Kunst- und Kulturgeschichte, Oldenburg, Germany (trav. exh.)
1982 Tapetenbroschen. Schaufenster Nr. 34, Munich, Germany
1983 Das Schweizer Gold – Die Deutsche Mark. Künstlerwerkstatt Lothringerstrasse 13, Munich, Germany
1983 Kollektion Künzli 1983. Tapetenbroschen von Otto Künzli. Deutsches Tapetenmuseum Kassel, Germany
1984 Kunstmanifestatie ’84. Galerie Ra / De Nieuwe Kerk, Amsterdam, the Netherlands (with Willem Honing)
1984 Broschen aus Tapete. Galerie Mattar, Cologne, Germany
1985 Moderner Schmuck. Galerie Hermanns, Munich, Germany (with Gijs Bakker and Manfred Nisslmüller)
1986 Fragments. Therese Hilbert – Otto Künzli. Jewellery 1976-1986. Helen Drutt Gallery, Philadelphia, USA
1986 Fragmenten. Galerie Ra, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
1987 Otto Künzli – Schmuck. VITRINE, Maximilianstra.e 30, Munich, Germany
1989 Everything Goes to Pieces. Rezac Gallery, Chicago, USA
1989 Otto Künzli / Gijs Bakker. Galerie Ra, KunstRai, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
1990 Otto Künzli. Françoise van den Bosch Prijs 1990. Museum Fodor, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
1991 Augenblick. Galerie Wittenbrink, Munich, Germany
1991 Het derde oog. Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
1991 Das dritte Auge. Museum Bellerive, Zurich, Switzerland
1992 The Third Eye. Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, Glasgow, UK
1992 Oh, say! Ezra and Cecilie Zilkha Gallery, Center for the Arts, Wesleyan University, Middletown, USA
1993 Good Morning America. Galerie Wittenbrink, Munich, Germany
1993 Coraçao & Co. Galeria Contacto Directo, Lisbon, Portugal
1993 We 3. Galler y YU, Tokyo, Japan (with Joke Brakman and Kazuhiro Itoh)
1995 Het Ding. Galerie Ra, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
1996 Drei Birken im Schnee – Tre Bjerk i Sne. RAM Galleri, Oslo, Norway
1997 The Jewellery Case. Gallery Funaki, Melbourne, Australia
1998 Cozticteocuitlatl 1995-1998 B.M. Galerie Wittenbrink, Munich, Germany; Galerie Sofie Lachaert, Antwerp, Belgium; Galerie Ra, Amsterdam, the Netherlands; and Kunstforum, Kirchberg/Bern, Switzerland (trav.exh.)
1998 Freunde. Galerie Ra, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
1998 Förgätmigej. Gallerihnoss, Gothenburg, Sweden
2000 Australian Diary. John Curtin Gallery, Perth, Australia
2002 O sole mio. Galerie Wittenbrink, Munich, Germany
2002 Who Nose? Happening. Gallery YU, Tokyo, Japan
2003 A Red Heart Can’t Be Wrong. Gallery Funaki, Melbourne, Australia
2003 Who Nose? Happening. Powerhouse Museum, Sydney, Australia; Gallery Funaki, Melbourne, Australia; Gully Lounge, Auckland, Australia; and Pataka Museum, Wellington, New Zealand
2004 Schmuck aus 37 Ländern. Galerie Wittenbrink, Munich, Germany
2004 Otto Künzli. La Chaufferie, Strasbourg, France
2006 Change – Schmuck aus 38 Ländern. Galerie S O, Solothurn,Switzerland
2007 Wie Du Mir – So Ich Dir. Therese Hilbert, Otto Künzli – ein Intermezzo. Ecke Galerie, Augsburg, Germany
2008 Personale. Galleria Maurer Zilioli Contemporary Arts, Brescia, Italy
2009 Otto Künzli – π. Galerie Wittenbrink, Munich, Germany
2009 Orbit. Galerie Marzee, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
2010 Leonids and Fumerols. Gallery Funaki, Melbourne, Australia (with Therese Hilbert)
2011 Presentation at the award of the Golden Ring of Honor of the Association of Goldsmiths’ Art, Hanau, Germany
2013 Otto Künzli. Die Ausstellung. Die Neue Sammlung – The International Design Museum ½ Pinakothek der Moderne München, Germany
2013 Otto Künzli. For Sale. Gallerie Wittenbrink, München, Germany
2014 Otto Künzli. L’exposition. Bijou de 1967 à 2012.mudac, Musée de design et d’arts appliqués contemporains, Lausanne, Switzerland
2015 Otto Künzli. The Exhibition. Tokyo Metropolitan Teien Art Museum,  Tokyo, Japan
2016 &: H&K.  Gewerbemuseum Winterthur, Switzerland (with Therese Hilbert)
2016 evil and I. Gallery Funaki, Melbourne, Australia (with Therese Hilbert)
2017 Quidam. Galerie Wittenbrink, Munich, Germany
2017 (7IN8). OTTO-bAR, Exempla, Internationale Handwerksmesse München, Germany
2017 Nukleus. Galerie Rosi Jäger, Hochheim, Germany (with Therese Hilbert)
2017 so nah – so fern. Galerie Marzee, Nijmegen, The Netherlands (with Dorothea Prühl)
2018 Klassiker der Moderne. Internationale Handwerksmesse München, Germany
 
 

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JEWELS by OTTO KüNZLI

Auge XV by Otto Künzli.
Otto Künzli.
Brooch: Auge XV, 2018.
Gold.
5.8 x 6.8 x 0.8 cm.
Photo by: Otto Künzli
Unique piece.
Price: 9800 €.
Auge XVI by Otto Künzli.
Otto Künzli.
Ring: Auge XVI, 2018.
Gold, corian.
2.7 x 3.6 x 2.8 cm.
Photo by: Otto Künzli
Unique piece.
Price: 4400 €.
Quidam XIV by Otto Künzli.
Otto Künzli.
Brooch: Quidam XIV, 2018.
Mango pit, moonstone, corian.
5.5 x 8.4 x 1.9 cm.
Photo by: Otto Künzli
Unique piece.
Price: 4200 €.
Auge IX by Otto Künzli.
Otto Künzli.
Brooch: Auge IX, 2017.
Corian, obsidian.
6.6 x 9.3 x 0.5 cm.
Photo by: Otto Künzli
Unique piece.
Price: 3200 €.
Auge XI by Otto Künzli.
Otto Künzli.
Brooch: Auge XI, 2017.
Gagat (jet), obsidian, silver.
10.2 x 4.2 x 0.6 cm.
Photo by: Otto Künzli
Unique piece.
Price: 3400 €.
Auge VII by Otto Künzli.
Otto Künzli.
Brooch: Auge VII, 2017.
Corian.
4.7 x 9.7 x 0.6 cm.
Photo by: Otto Künzli
Unique piece.
Price: 3000 €.
Auge XII (Post-it) by Otto Künzli.
Otto Künzli.
Brooch: Auge XII (Post-it), 2017.
Corian, paper (exchangeable, for example Post-it).
6.8 x 7.1 x 0.5 cm.
Photo by: Otto Künzli.
Part of: Private collection
Unique piece.
On-going edition nº 3.
SOLD
Auge III by Otto Künzli.
Otto Künzli.
Brooch: Auge III, 2016.
Corian.
8.8 x 7.5 x 0.5 cm.
Photo by: Otto Künzli
Unique piece.
Price: 2400 €.