The artist

a

Born in 1939 in Essen, Gerd Kruft learned the art of glass cutting from scratch and it was above all the faceted, the work on the flat running wheel, which corresponded to his talent.  

Already in his early youth, Gerd Kruft came to the decision to work with glass. At the age of 17, he graduated with honor from the highly recognized State School for Glass Design in Rheinbach, Germany.

In 1963, he established his own workshop and concentrated on working with cold techniques, in which he soon reached perfectionism.

Visiting symposia and extensive travelling through out the world enabled Gerd Kruft not only to gain professional knowledge about the current technical achievements, but also  bestowed him an endless pool of impressions.

a
a
Those impressions of foreign countries and cultures inspired him constantly, serving his as a stimulation for him innovative development. They are reflected in his entire oeuvre.

Over the years he experimented with many different techniques to work with glass. In 1981 when the enthusiasm for studio glass reached a peak, he furnished his own studio, built himself one of the first studio glass kilns in Germany and created his first sculptures from glass

Since 1995, Gerd Kruft turned back to his original passion to work with cold techniques again. His actual strength lies in the fact, that he lets the material glass “speak for itself”, to let glass be glass. By forming and designing it, he gives glass the chance to reveal its character of transparency and reflection to a full extend.

Gerd Kruft participated in many national and international exhibitions and holds awards of numerous contests.