Daniel Kruger

Designer Daniel Kruger was born in Cape Town, South Africa, in 1951. He studied graphic design and goldsmithing at Stellenbosch University from 1971 to 1972; painting and sculpture at the Michaelis School of Fine Art, University of Cape Town from 1973 to 1974; and goldsmithing at the Akademie der Bildenden Künste in Munich from 1974 to 1980. There, he apprenticed under master goldsmith Hermann Jünger, and earned his diploma in 1980. He founded his own studio in 1980 in Munich. In addition to his design work, since 2003, Kruger has served as Professor of Jewelry at the Burg Giebichenstein University for Art and Design in Halle, Germany. Since 2005, he has lived and worked in Berlin.

Kruger specializes in jewelry design. Sensual shapes and materials characterize much of his work. Kruger’s jewelry incorporates a variety of luxury and everyday materials. He uses geometric and organic forms, textures, patterns, and colors, and he has a penchant for symmetry. Every piece is unique.

In addition to jewelry design, Kruger also works in ceramics. These pieces are based on traditional forms but carry the imagery of a contemporary world and its iconography.

Kruger was awarded the coveted Herbert Hofmann Prize in 1987 and 2005. He has both jewelry and ceramic works in renowned museums internationally.