<BERND MUNSTEINER REFLEXIONEN IN STEIN>: An introduction to Bernd Munsteiner, who has revolutionised gem-cutting; Superlative photographs of his works reveal his world of precious stones, and all the fascination with these symbols of eternity; The appeal of precious stones has held people of all cultures and civilizations enthralled, it is a phenomenon that has lasted to the present day.

<BERND MUNSTEINER REFLEXIONEN IN STEIN>: Since the 1960s, Bernd Munsteiner (*1943) has focused in his sculpture on the aesthetic qualities of natural mineral formations. The first contemporary artist to have approached gemstones in this way, he has left far behind him the glitzy world of jewels, facet-cutting and market valuation by virtue of carat and purity practised by the jewellery trade. His artistic exploration of any precious stone he is working on (rock crystal, aquamarine, citrine, etc) starts with the inclusions and impurities in the crystal because they are what for him constitutes the individual quality of the stone. Although he at first worked with agate, he later turned to transparent crystals for his pictures, objects and sculpture. Hitherto unsuspected visual spaces are opened up for the viewer - not least through the transparency of the material. Magical landscapes within the stone widen out into surfaces on to which the psyche can project.

During an artistic career spanning more than forty years, Bernd Munsteiner has created a rich oeuvre with which he is represented worldwide in public and private collections. He is world-famous as an outstanding innovator in modern gem-cutting, especially for the spectacular sculptures from the Metamorphosis cycle, cut from an 850-kg rock crystal with needle-like rutile inclusions, and the 35-cm-high sculpture Dom Pedro - Ondas Maritimas - the largest cut aquamarine in the world.

Wilhelm Lindemann

FOR ALL DELIGHT WANTS ETERNITY

Bernd Munsteiner - Reflections in Stone

GROUPS OF WORKS

WORKS

Si + Ann Frazier

GETTING TO KNOW BERND

Michael M. Scott

LIGHT IN STONE

Deborah Aquado

BERND'S WORK

Christianne Weber-Stober

BERND MUNSTEINER AND HIS WORLD OF CRYSTALS

APPENDIX

Biography

Awards (a selection)

Exhibitions (a selection)

Bibliography (a selection)