It is with great sadness that we have heard of the death of Fritz Rossmann who had been under treatment for cancer. Fritz has been represented at Bevere Gallery since 2010. We have always admired his inventive porcelain vessels and particularly his exploration of different techniques to create a unique style immediately recognisable as his.
We know, attractive as it may be, that porcelain is not the easiest material to work with, nevertheless Fritz produced vessels of elegant design and colour combinations that enhanced the presence of all his work. He has an international reputation and his work is in galleries and museums in Europe and Asia.
It is a sad loss for his family and friends but also a loss of a major ceramic talent. He was in his early sixties and we are sure that he would have had many more years of creative energy. He will be long remembered.
He prefered to use the Australian “Southern Ice” porcelain because of its clear whiteness and extreme transparency. Fritz was a real perfectionist who knew how to perfect imperfection and integrate it into challenging forms that usually refer to ceramics.He found his inspiration in the classic ceramic forms used in Egyptian and Greek pottery. Also Chinese ceramics from the Song period are examples of his way of glazing resulting in mysterious colours such as jade-green (celadon) and kingfisher-blue caused by the use of this “Southern Ice”. In his latter work he perforated the pot wall in fascinating patterns, so that the holes will be filled with glaze after baking.
Fritz Rossmann was apprenticed with Wim Mühlendyck from 1975–78. He then studied at the State College of Ceramic Design and Technology in Höhr-Grenzhausen from 1980–83. In 1992, he became a member of the collaborative workshop Keramikgruppe Grenzhausen.
