In the history of art, Hans Fries is one of the names that keeps being returned to.
The record lists Hans Fries as Swiss artist (c.1465-c.1520).
Hans Fries was born at Fribourg in 1465. His recorded nationality is Switzerland.
This was the period in which the artist became an individual with a signature, a reputation and a price.
He worked as painter.
His best-known work is Saint Mary's Altar. Looking is a skill, and the artists who last are those who taught their audience how to do it.
That the work was made in Switzerland shaped it: artistic traditions, academies and the galleries that decide what is seen have never been evenly distributed.
Hans Fries died in 1520, aged 55. The work remains, hanging in collections that outlived both the artist and the market that first priced it.
Achievements
- Notable work: Saint Mary's Altar
