Judith Glaus

Judith Glaus was born in Zurich in 1954.

After secondary school in Zurich and a short ceramics training in Faenza, Italy, for 3 years, I run my own ceramics studio in Zurich and carried out various small orders.

In 1979, to pursue my main interest in sculpture, I spent one year at the ‘Ecole supérieure des Arts Visuels’ in Geneva. From there I moved on to the very liberal ‘Akademie voor Beeldende Kunst’ AKI, in Enschede, Netherlands, where – in 1982 – I completed my degree in ‘Plastic Design’ with a diploma thesis.

Already during my student days I established contacts with the very buoyant alternative art scene in Amsterdam and – in the summer of 1982 – I took part in the legendary exhibition ‘Beeldstroom’ in Amsterdam. The sculpture we exhibited constructed of building materials was a joint work between Dutch and well known German artists from the Cologne expressionists.

After a short period in Zurich, I was drawn back to the very inspiring environment of the Dutch metropolis, Amsterdam, where I began to experiment with drawings and paintings applying various techniques and materials on paper. The brisk and emotional works I started to create were influenced by the new Expressionism.

In further developing my own style, my brush and chalk strokes became more and more rough and sketchy. The dominant black and brown tones were sometimes contrasted with few, but strong colors. My works became emotional, mystical interpretations of simple, recognizable human kind. The heads and figures stood and continue to stand as symbolic beings for power and powerlessness, tragedy, pride, kindness and aggression.

This formed the basis for my art works, which I exhibited in various galleries, art halls and museums, in Holland, Switzerland and other countries. My works were acquired by both public and private collections. I continued to create sculptures as well, but mainly by commission and only rarely showed them in exhibitions.

During the 30 years I spent in Amsterdam I experienced a steadily increasing success. Unfortunately this happy period ended with a sudden and fatal setback. In 2012 I went back to my home town Zurich for 10 years and moved back to Amsterdam in 2022.

Now I work in Amsterdam and in a studio in the hills of Tuscany.