Kris Ruhs is an American painter and sculptor. He also works on drawing, graphic arts, jewelry, ceramics and furniture designs.

Life and Work

Kris Andrew Ruhs was born in Queens, New York, on March 7, 1952 from a family of German extraction.

He grew up in New York City and from 1970 to 1973 attended The School of Visual Arts  where he studied Fine and Applied Arts.

He began his first series of sculptures inspired by the wood discarded in the streets next to his studio on lower Broadway. Discards of various shapes and sizes became favored materials for him.

In the late 1970s, Ruhs' friendship with legendary jewelry designer Robert Lee Morris

Robert Lee Morris

Robert Lee Morris is a jewelry designer and sculptor who attributes much of his inspiration to forms he admires in nature. His designs have been made in gold, silver and bronze. He is an acknowledged leader of the art jewelry movement...

  of Art Wear lead him to begin exploring his own personal concepts of wearable art.

During all the 80's and early 90's solo and group shows were held at both Tower Galleries, New York and South Hampton, and Richard Greene Gallery.

In the early 90's Ruhs began his transition to Europe

Europe

Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...

 and the long standing association working with Carla Sozzani

Carla Sozzani

Carla Sozzani is the Italian gallery owner of and the creator of 10 Corso Como in Milan.- Personal life :Born in Mantua, Italy, 1947.Graduated from Bocconi University, Milan...

 on the development of the iconic 10 Corso Como

10 Corso Como

10 Corso Como is a multifunctional concept dedicated to art, fashion, music, design, cuisine and culture 10 Corso Como was founded in 1990 in Milan, Italy, by gallerist and publisher Carla Sozzani....

 and gallery spaces in Milan

Milan

Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...

.

He made editorial illustrations for Italian Vogue. He worked on different design assignments in Berlin, Seoul and Tokyo.
He worked on big sculptural pieces and installation and he began his experiments with ceramics.

He designed furniture art pieces, first produced in 1991 by Giulio Cappellini for Cappellini Arte and created architectural installations and furniture design.

He started in 1998 a long ongoing collaboration with Marzorati and Ronchetti both for his design pieces and monumental sculptures.

He created jewelry art pieces in ebony, brass, silver and gold for collectors and designers with the same dimensional aspects as his other artworks.

He is represented in Milan by Galleria Carla Sozzani.

Publications

Kris Ruhs, Jewellery, Carla Sozzani Editore, 2010

Kris Ruhs, Oil on Paper and Collages 1999 - 2000, Carla Sozzani Editore, 2007

Kris Ruhs, Ceramics, Carla Sozzani Editore, 2006

Kris Ruhs, Works on paper, Carla Sozzani Editore, 2006

Solo Exhibitions

2010 "Jewellery", Galleria Carla Sozzani, Milan

2005 "Stones", Galleria Carla Sozzani, Milan

2004 "Rain Labyrinth", Crossings Gallery, Hamburg

2002 "One Room", Galleria Carla Sozzani, Milan

2001 "Installations", Galleria Carla Sozzani, Milan

1999 "Red Light Installation" Galleria Carla Sozzani, Milan

1995 "Labirinto", Galleria Carla Sozzani, Milan

1990 Inaugural Solo Exhibition, Galleria Carla Sozzani, Milan

1989 Artwear, AT&T Building, New York

1988 Richard Greene Gallery, Los Angeles, CA.

1987 "Kris Ruhs Untitled Theatre", Richard Greene Gallery, New York

1986 "Recent Constructions", Richard Greene Gallery, New York

1985 "New Paintings and Constructions", Tower Gallery, New York

1984 "Constructions", Tower Gallery, New York

1983 Tower Gallery, New York

1982 Tower Gallery, Southampton, New York

1980 "Paintings", Caravan House, New York

Group Exhibitions

1993 "Three Voices: Franco Albini, Rei Kawakubo, Kris Ruhs", Galleria Carla Sozzani, Milan

1991 "One Room: Marc Newson, Tom Dixon, Kris Ruhs", Galleria Carla Sozzani, Milan

1989 Gallery Helene Grubair, Miami, Fla.

1988 Gallery Helene Grubair, Miami, Fla.

1986 "Arts as Toys", St. Louis, Mo.

1986 Galerie Lezard, Paris

1986 "Painting in the third dimension", Gallery Camino Real, Boca Raton, Fla.

1985 "Reliefs and Mobiles", Tower Gallery, New York

1985 "On and Off the Walls" Pan Arts, Brooklyn, New York

1985 Summer Group Show, Tower Gallery, Southampton, New York

1983 Opening Group Show, Tower Gallery, New York

1982 Dorfman Gallery, New York

1980 Stonybrook University Art Center, Stonybrook, New York

1979 "Painting and sculpture", Bartholet Gallery, New York

1979 Tower Gallery, Southampton, New York

1975 "Alumni Exhibition", School of Visual Arts, New York

1973 "Annual Members Exhibitions", School of Visual Arts, New York