Karen Lise Krabbe

Graduated from the Faculty of Humanities at Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark, 1984. Studied glass as assistant in glass art workshops and courses, 1998–2003. Taught glass at Aarhus Kunstakademi, Aarhus, 2002–2005. She has run her own workshop since 2004 and the Humboldt Gallery in Aarhus since 2013.

She was awarded the Kunsthåndværkerprisen af 1879 (Danish Craft Award of 1879, presented by the Queen) – a bronze medal in 2009, and a silver in 2011. In 2014 she was awarded the most important prize in European glass art – The Coburg Prize for Contemporary Glass 2014.


She has participated in 4 solo and around 50 group exhibitions, including: The Gift, the Glasmuseet Ebeltoft, Ebeltoft, Denmark, 2008; Vildt naturligt, Naturhistorisk Museum, Aarhus, 2011; the Charlottenborg Spring Exhibition, Copenhagen, Denmark, 2012; the European Prize for Applied Arts, Mons, Belgium, 2012; Glasss, Holstebro Kunstmuseum, Holstebro, Denmark, and Sophienholm, Lyngby, Denmark, 2013–2014; and the Coburg Prize for Contemporary Glass 2014, Kunstsammlungen der Veste Coburg, Germany.

Her artworks are represented in collections at the Glasmuseet Ebeltoft, the Kunstsammlungen der Veste Coburg, and Ernsting Stiftung, Coesfeld, Germany.

Karen Lise Krabbe is fascinated by materials research within composite materials, and she has named her project The third material. She works with her own characteristic technique – 3D-printing by hand: the objects are formed by multiple layers of glass, olivine and sand.