10 Standout Artisans from the Loewe Craft Prize Exhibition in New York

An exhibition of work by 26 finalists is on display in New York before heading to Paris in the Fall

By Lucy Rees June 1, 2017

Spearheaded by the Spanish brand’s creative director, Jonathan Anderson, the Loewe Craft Prize aims to “showcase and celebrate the work of exceptionally talented artisans working in a range of craft-based professions.”

The competition, launched in November last year, saw more than 4,000 entries from international artisans working in ceramics to embroidery to furniture to jewelry-making. An exhibition of work by 26 finalists, narrowed down by a star-studded panel including Patricia Urquiola, Naoto Fukasawa, and Deyan Sudjic, went on display in Madrid in April 2017.

The winner, Ernst Gamperl, a self-taught wood-carver from Munich, was applauded for his breathtaking Tree of Life 2, a curvaceous vessel made from a reclaimed fallen tree. “This is an object that is both beautiful, and teaches us the value of recycling,” Anderson commented at the award ceremony. Special mention also went to Japanese glass artist Yoshiaki Kojiro, and Mexican basket weavers Antonio and Veronica Cornelio, who were both also awarded additional 5000-euro prizes.

Now, the show is on display at Manhattan’s Chamber gallery in Chelsea through June 6, before heading to Paris in September, Tokyo in November, and London in February of next year.

Here, Galerie shares ten highlights.

Japan’s Yoshiaki Kojiro fires glass with compounds like calcium carbonate and copper oxide to dazzling effect.
Photo: Courtesy of the Loewe Foundation
Kristina Rothe's Burial Object (steps), a poetic funeral object, uses a delicate paper-making technique she learnt from Helmut Frerick. The surface patterns are the result of shaping the pulp in a plaster mold based on a hand-sewn model.
Photo: Courtesy of Loewe Foundation
Mexican basket weavers Antonio and Veronica Cornelio, the husband-and-wife team behind “Tata Curiata”, created this woven sun-deity.
Photo: Courtesy of the Loewe Foundation
Sylvie Vandenhoucke is a Belgian artisan inspired by the use of light in classic paintings. This shimmering 2014 wall piece, titled Converging Line, is made up of thousands of pieces of fired glass.
Photo: Courtesy of the Loewe Foundation
Shuji Nakagawa's Big Trays of Parquetry are expertly crafted from Japanese cedar—using a century-old woodcrafting practice.
Photo: Courtesy of the Loewe Foundation
Barcelona-based Fátima Tocornal's beautiful enamel-plated silver jewelry crosses the boundary between fine and applied arts.
Photo: Courtesy of the Loewe Foundation
The winning artist Ernst Gamperl created this piece using a single slab of wood from a 300-year-old oak tree that fell during a storm. In an artist statement he says, "I look for pieces of wood full of character with knots, irregular growth patterns, tears, breaks, and interesting details."

Photo: Courtesy of the Loewe Foundation
Portuguese artist Patricia Domingues's striking piece of jewelry, Many & Deliberated, is a chunky block of fragmented lapis lazuli stone.
Photo: Courtesy of the Loewe Foundation
Irish ceramic artist Sara Flynn's one-off porcelain vessels are purely sculptural in their intent. This piece has been masterfully cut and reassembled before being spray-glazed.
Photo: Courtesy of the Loewe Foundation
Australian jeweler Robert Baines is known for crafting whimsical pieces out of solid gold and precious stones using the traditional craft of filigree. This 2016 piece is titled Steampunk from the Cosmos.
Photo: Courtesy of the Loewe Foundation