about Ernst
CURRICULUM VITAE
Ernst Fries (pron. 'freeze') was born in Wurzburg, Germany in 1934. As a child he experienced the destruction by bombing of Wurzburg during WWII and has written an account of wartime life "Life on the Other Side" Copies available to order - email
After the war in 1953, he worked and studied gold & silver-smithing in Switzerland and in 1959 immigrated to Australia with his new Swiss wife Rosmarie, beginning their family of six children.
He was soon working full time as a silversmith utilizing vitreous enamel to create individually designed jewellery and hollow ware for many of Melbourne’s churches. Ernst also taught Silversmithing at RMIT for several years.
Early exhibitions were dominated by works in silver and enamel but a leaning towards sculpture was recognised as early as 1965 by art critic Donald Brook, in his exhibition review in the Canberra Times.
His early sculptures were figurative bronzes but he soon changed to creating more abstract work using mild steel and stainless steel. He also became interested in the use of Dalle de Verre glass set in concrete and polyurethane.
Ernst was President (several times) of the Association of Sculptors of Victoria and from 1983 to 1988 was President of the Australian National Committee of International Association of Art (UNESCO). In this capacity he attended world congresses in Germany, Iraq, Spain, Japan and Mexico.
In 1984-1985 he was granted a 12 month studio residency in the City of Wurzburg, Germany, where he was born. He lived, worked and held a successful exhibition in Wurzburg before returning to Melbourne.
Ernst was re-elected as President of ANC-IAA from 1992 to 1997 and during this time he initiated and organised the International Sculpture Event in Toolangi in 1996.
In 2000 Ernst organised and travelled with the first major exhibition of traditional indigenous (Tiwi) art to Europe, together with three Tiwi artists. Tiwi Art & History - From Mythology to the Present received rave reviews and was a sell-out.
Ernst has had many solo exhibitions in public and commercial galleries and has participated in many important group exhibitions such as 'The Emigrants' in the Australian National Gallery in Canberra and 'Treasures from Australian Churches' in the National Gallery of Victoria.
His work is widely represented in public, corporate and private collections nationally and overseas. His larger outdoor works were positioned at Art at Linden Gate gallery, Yarra Glen, his home of 35 years. Ernst’s available works can be viewed on the Outdoor Sculpture & Indoor Sculpture pages.
In 2010 Ernst achieved a long held desire to gain a higher education qualification when he completed his Master of Fine Art (Research) at Monash University. He thesis was Light, Colour, Spatiality through the medium of Dalle de Verre.
Ernst completed several commissions in 2012 and the highlight of 2013 was creating the glass and concrete panels for the Yarra Glen Black Saturday Bushfire Memorial which is situated in Mackenzie Reserve, Yarra Glen.
2014 was a milestone for Ernst as his 80th year. A retrospective exhibition was held at Art at Linden Gate covering the six decades of his art practice and Ernst completed his long planned 6 metre tall, kinetic sculpture Wind Cube.
In March 2016 a selection of his smaller sculptures travelled to the Asia Contemporary Art Show in Hong Kong.
2017 saw Ernst working on another commission for the Yarra Ranges Council, creating a public sculpture for Wandin North, which was installed in November 2017.
Ernst continued creating sculptures until his death, after a short illness, in March 2020.
SELECTED SCULPTURES IN COLLECTIONS
SuniTAFE, Sunraysia Institute of TAFE - Vitreous enamel mural commissioned by State Bank of Victoria, Mildura
Horsham Regional Art Gallery - POWER WITHIN
Geelong Performing Art Centre - SHOOT
Nillumbik Public Art Collection - Surveyor of Suburban Environs - Alistair Knox Park, Main Road, Panther Place, Eltham
Yarra Glen Black Saturday Bushfire Memorial, McKenzie Reserve, Yarra Glen, Vic 3775
Wandin North - INTERACTION sculpture
Wandin North Sculpture installation
PUBLICATIONS:
Cool Fries - Herald Sun 23 October 1999
International Sculpture Event, Toolangi, Australia 1996 ISBN 0646307819
Toolangi Sculpture Trail Revisited 2016 - by Dr Ewen Jarvis
Essay for Catalogue Retrsopsective Exhibition by Ernst Fries 2014 by Caroline Moes
LIFE ON THE OTHER SIDE - Ernst Fries childhood in Germany during the WWII
MAJOR ACHIEVEMENTS
Elected 1st Hon. President of the Australian National Committee of The International Association of Art-UNESCO (ANC-IAA-UNESCO) 1983-88
Elected Hon President of ANC - IAA-UNESCO - 1992-98
Australian Delegate for the IAA-UNESCO General Assembly and World Congress in Germany 1979, Iraq 1986, Spain 1989, Mexico 1995.
President of the Victorian Sculptors Association - 1978, 1982-84, 1990-92
Instigator and organiser of Toolangi International Sculpture Event 1996 (in partnership with UNESCO)
Organiser of travelling exhibition of Tiwi Art & History - From Mythology to the Present to Germany, accompanied by three Tiwi artists - 2000.