Loup # 23. Brooch, 2011, 18k gold, 88.6 x 59 x 25 mm

Untitled, 2011, graphite on paper, 23 x 31 cm

Loup # 31. Brooch, 2011, silver, 85.6 x 67.8 x 21.2 mm

Loup # 28. Brooch, 2011, oxidized silver, 107.3 x 56.3 x 26 mm

Montclair, NJ–Klaus Bürgel is a rigorous craftsperson whose jewelry both disguises and flaunts it’s technical virtuosity.  While Bürgel’s brooches are clearly meant to be worn they also seek to be more than ornaments. Simultaneously forceful and delicate, they twist both outward and back in on themselves, restless and yet never aggressive. Their fluidity is an escape while reconfirming a sense of measured containment.

Given that the Loop Series began in 2004 and is still ongoing, the wide range of shapes–and their corresponding set of ideas and emotions-is not surprising. The dynamics play out in gold, silver, and a darkened finish of oxidized silver which hints at Richard Serra’s monumental sculptural steel torques and ellipses that similarly emphasize movement without restraint. Each brooch in the Loop Series begins with an automatic drawing-which Bürgel scans into a computer and compresses before using the resulting image to cut into thin strips of metal he then begins to shape. A sculptural component enters the process as Bürgel adds layers of metal, rounding and blunting the edges of each loop so they too, become another set of surfaces and lines.

Klaus Bürgel was born and raised in Germany where he earned both a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree and a Master’s Degree in Fine Arts.  He came to the United States in 1980 and has since taught at many prestigious programs.  He has lectured and curated worldwide.

Artist Reception:
Sat. Nov. 19, 2011 7-9 pm.