Annette Friedrich is a Fellow of Designer Bookbinders and creates unique fine bindings and conceptional artworks.

 

Born and bred in Germany, Annette served an apprenticeship in Leipzig and studied 'Conceptional Book Art' at Burg Giebichenstein, University for Art and Design, in Halle (Saale).

 

Following the draw of a very vibrant art and craft scene, she moved to England in 2005. As well as setting up her own studio for fine art bindings in East London, Annette worked part-time for the specialist bindery Book Works, as well as the book restorer Charles Gledhill, and got involved in curating exhibitions for Designer Bookbinders. She also served for a number of years as the commissioning editor of the The New Bookbinder, the annual international flagship publication of DB.

 

After fifteen years abroad, Annette followed her heart (love!) and relocated her studio for fine art bindings back to Halle (Saale), Germany. In 2020 she also set up - together with Rita Lass -  'Goldene Esel - studio for book restoration and facsimiles'. 

 

Works by Annette are held in many private and public collections including British Library (UK), V&A National Art Library (UK), Bodleian Library (UK), National Library of Scotland (UK), John Rylands Library (UK), Gutenberg Museum (GER), Deutsches Buchmuseum (GER), Duchess Anna-Amalia Library (GER), and Morgan Library (USA) 

 

 

Awards / Grants:

 

2018 Collect 18 | spotlight stand award by the Crafts Council | Saatchi Gallery, London | UK

2014 Bayerischer Staatspreis 2014 (club mantell), München (GER)

2013 Das 50 € Stipendium | clubmantell - December-Lady (GER)

2011 The Sally Lou Smith Prize for Forwarding | Annual Designer Bookbinders Competition (UK)

2010 Justus Brinckman Förderpreis 2011 (club mantell), Hamburg (GER)

2010 The Sally Lou Smith Prize for Forwarding | Annual Designer Bookbinders Competition (UK)

2009 Distinguished Winner | International Bookbinding Competition of Designer Bookbinders (UK)

2008 First Open Choice + Elizabeth Greenhill Prize for Gold Tooling | Annual DB Competition (UK)

2006 Overall winner | Elizabeth Soutar Bookbinding Competition, Glasgow (UK)

 

Group exhibitions:

 

2022

CODEX VIII: Bookfair & Symposium | Craneway Pavilion, Richmond, California | USA

 

2021

British Bookbinding Today: The Art and Craft of Beautiful Books | Purple Heron Club, Shanghai | online-exhibition

 

2020

Contemporary Designer Bookbindings from the Collection of Neale and Margaret Albert | Yale Center for British Art, Yale, USA

Frankfurter Buchmesse  | (Corona online- edition)  | GER

 

2018 

Collect18 | International Artfair for Contemporary Objects | Saatchi Gallery, London | UK

Hand, Head, Heart | Court Barn Museum  | Chipping Camden | UK

covered 18 | Designer Bookbinders  | Maggs Bros., London | UK

 

2017

Collect17 | International Artfair for Contemporary Objects | Saatchi Gallery, London | UK

 

2016

The Poet of them All: Shakespeare | Yale Center for British Art, Yale, USA | The Grolier Club, New York | USA

covered 16 | St. Bride Foundation, London | UK

 

2015

covered 15 | St. Bride Foundation, London | UK

Yes, I DO! | 48 Stunden Neukölln, Berlin | GER

Inside/OUT | Center of the Book, San Francisco | USA

 

2014 

club mantell : Exempla | Sonderschau der Internationalen Handwerksmesse, München | GER

covered 14 | St. Bride Foundation, London | UK

Prize Volumes (touring exhibition continued) | National Library of Estonia, Tallinn | Museum of Western Bohemia, Pilzen | Library of the Bauhaus University, Weimar | Museum of Printing, Leipzig | Imprenta Municipal, Madrid | Nerima Museum, Tokyo

 

2013 

L'Art Conceptionel du Livre | Bibliotheca Wittockiana, Brussels  | BE

covered 13 | St. Bride Foundatrion, London | UK

Prize Volumes (touring exhibition) | Bodleian Libraries, Oxford | St. Bride Foundation, London | Bibliotheka Wittockiana, Brussels

 

2012

club mantell : Parzelle Unique | former military excercise area, Halle  | GER

DBUK (touring exhibition continued) | Newcastle City Library, Newcastle-upon-Tyne; Bodleian Library, Oxford; The John Rylands Library, Manchester (UK)

 

2011

club mantell : Einbände von Annette Friedrich, Ireen Kranz und Anne Puls | Messe Kunst und Handwerk 2011, Hamburg  | GER

Die Tische sind unten (club mantell)| Künstlerhaus, Salzwedel  | GER

Vorsicht Buch – Mechthild Lobisch und Schüler | Galerie Handwerk, München  | GER catalogue

DBUK (touring exhibition) | The Schneideman Gallery, London; Hull History Centre, Hull; Dean Clough Galleries, Halifax  (UK) catalogue

 

2010

club mantell : works | Messe Kunst und Handwerk 2010, Hamburg  | GER

covered 10 | Flow Gallery, London  | UK

 

2009

À Outrance | The Bodleian Library, Oxford | UK

Bound for Success (touring exhibition) | The Bodleian Library, Oxford (UK), The Grolier Club, New York (USA), Bonham and Butterfields, San Francisco (USA) catalogue

covered 09 | Flow Gallery, London (UK)

club mantell : Unangestrengtes Warten auf den Erfolg | Ufo Galerie, Halle  | GER catalogue

 

2008

covered 08 | Flow Gallery, London  | UK

Kyffin – A Celebration (touring exhibition) | Gwasg Gregynog, Powys (UK), The National Library of Wales, Aberystwyth (UK), Gallery of Contemporary Applied Arts, London (UK), Stour Gallery, Shipston-on-Stour (UK), The John Rylands Library, Manchester (UK)

 

2007

covered 07 | Flow Gallery, London  | UK

 

2006                  

The Elizabeth Soutar Competition | National Library of Scotland, Edinburgh | UK