Christopher Kurtz
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BIOGRAPHY
Christopher Kurtz has gained international attention for his sculpture and studio furniture, which is included in significant private collections. The artist was shortlisted for the Loewe Craft Prize 2018 with a signature wooden sculptural work. He received the prestigious Louis Comfort Tiffany Award in 2005, and in 2007 he received a New York Foundation for the Arts (NYFA) Award (Lily Auchincloss fellow). He has exhibited as part of Against the Grain: Wood in Contemporary Art, Craft and Design at the Museum of Arts and Design, USA. In 2020, he exhibited in “Objects USA 2020” R&Company, New York. His work has been shown at numerous international art and design fairs, including Design Miami, PAD and FOG.Christopher Kurtz’s pieces are born, first and foremost, from a sculptural motivation invested in the specificity of objecthood; he comments that, ‘for me, making sculpture is not a conceptual or immaterial practice, it’s physical. I settled on wood as my medium because it’s structural, but also malleable and alive.’ The artist expertly sculpts his material using a carefully chosen palette of tools; often beginning without a predetermined blueprint for the final piece, Christopher works intuitively to create poignant and poetic forms that respond to a personal narrative or reflection and which, in turn, elicit a powerful emotional response from the viewer.
Inspiration for Christopher’s Skipping Stone series, specially created for the gallery, comes from his treasured time skipping stones with his daughter on the Hudson River: ‘It's a way we end each day together. We love searching for the perfect river stone; the shapes are so beautiful to hold - sometimes we can't bear to toss the good ones into the river, and we end up putting them in our pockets, bringing them home and stacking them up’. He uses locally sourced wood such as black American walnut, ash, cherry and white oak and sensitively hand carves each piece into smooth elliptical pebble shapes, expressively balanced to form the structure of the work.
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WORKS
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Christopher KurtzLinenfold CredenzaCarved wood
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Christopher KurtzBlonde Drinks Cabinet, 2022Tulipwood
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Christopher KurtzPearl cabinetCarved wood
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Christopher KurtzSkipping Stone Chair, 2020Bleached maple
Available as simple wooden chair, or with leather or fabric upholstery -
Christopher KurtzSkipping Stone Coffee Table, 2021/22Walnut, Cherry, Ash, White Oak, Pigmented Oils and Milk Paint.
Available for commission -
Christopher KurtzSkipping Stone Game Table, 2020American Black Walnut, Cherry, White Oak, Hard Maple.
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Christopher KurtzSkipping Stone Side Tables, 2020Walnut, Cherry, Oak, Ash with oil finish
Available as pair or as individuals -
Christopher KurtzSkipping Stone Table, 2022Walnut, Oak, Cherry and Tulipwood with graphite
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Christopher KurtzSkipping Stone Table, Blonde, 2022Poplar, Tulipwood
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Christopher KurtzWilla's Chair , 2020American Walnut
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Christopher KurtzGinkgo Writing DeskCarved wood
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Christopher KurtzPavilion Stool, 2023Carved wood
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Christopher KurtzSmoked Vessel 1, 2019American Black Walnut, scorched finish with linseed oil
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Christopher KurtzHeadrest, 2020Lime tree
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Installation Shots
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The 5 Best Booths at SF's FOG Art Fair
January 20, 2023San Francisco’s FOG Art Fair opened with a gala on Wednesday night, with top collectors from around the globe gathering to both add to their collections as well as purchase... -
As Art Basel Turns 20, Miami Art Week Enters a New, Slightly Less Hyped-Up Dawn
December 2, 2022At Design Miami, the showstopper was a sculptural, hand-carved armoire-bar by Christopher Kurtz, at the booth of London’s Sarah Myerscough Gallery . Standing in front of the cabinet’s billowing angel’s... -
5 Standout Wood Furnishings at Design Miami Revive the Humble Material for the 21st Century
December 5, 2022Ever the purveyor of works that demonstrate the latest and greatest in craft-led material experimentation, Sarah Myerscough Gallery was, deservedly, this year’s recipient of Design Miami’s Best in Show, Contemporary... -
Design Miami 2022 Gives Sights, Sounds, and Plenty of Seats
December 1, 2022When it comes to group showings, Sarah Myerscough Gallery 's exhibition 'Material Shores' is one of the most directional of the season, which is likely the reason that the London...
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