Artist
Annette Friedrich is an artist who creates unique fine bindings.
Born in Germany, Annette served a traditional apprenticeship in Leipzig (Buchbinderei Dettlaff) and studied with Prof. Mechthild Lobisch 'Conceptional Book Art' (with a special focus on fine bindings) at Burg Giebichenstein, University for Art and Design, in Halle (Saale).
In 2005 Annette moved to England, where she established her own studio for fine bindings in East London, as well as working part-time for the specialist bindery Book Works, and the book restorer Charles Gledhill. She was elected a Fellow of Designer Bookbinders, where she got involved in curating exhibitions, giving lectures and workshops, as well as serving for a number of years on the executive committee, as well as working as commissioning editor of the The New Bookbinder, the annual international flagship publication of DB.
in 2020, after fifteen years abroad, Annette moved her studio back to Germany and settled in Halle (Saale). She now happily splits her time on working on fine bindings, as well as breathig life back into old books, as she set up the 'Goldene Esel' (Golden donkeys) together with Rita Lass , a studio for book restoration and facsimiles. (www.goldene-esel.de)
Works by Annette are held in private and public collections alike,- including the 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), Staatsbibliothek Berlin (GER), and Morgan Library (USA)
Awards / Grants:
2025 Award | OPEN/SET international
bookbinding competition | American academy of bookbinding (USA)
2018 Collect 18 | spotlight stand by the Crafts Council | COLLECT at 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:
2025
Open/Set exhibition | Anderson Academic Commons, University of Denver | Denver | USA
Open/Set exhibition | San Francisco Center for the Book| San Francisco | USA
2024
CODEX IX: Bookfair & Symposium | HJK Convention Center, Oakland, California | USA
Ligaturen | Literaturhaus Galerie, Halle (Saale) | GER
Covered - Discovered | Crafts Council Gallery, London | UK
Eins Acht Acht: BINGO!!! | Ausstellung im Künstlerhaus 188 | Halle (Saale) | GER
2023
The Nicholas Fisher collection: 32 commissioned fine bindings | Maggs's Rare Books, London | UK
Wrestlemänia : 188 goes berserk! | Ausstellung im Künstlerhaus 188 | Halle (Saale) | GER
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 | CHN
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
Annette Friedrich