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{{Short description|Australian artist}}
'''Kristian Fredrikson''' (] - ], ]) was a ]-born ] stage and costume designer working in ballet, opera and other performing arts.
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2020}}
His work was acclaimed for its sumptuous, jewel-like quality, and a sensuous level of detail.
{{Use Australian English|date=January 2012}}
{{Infobox artist
| name = Kristian Fredrikson
| image =
| image_size =
| alt =
| caption =
| birth_name = Kristian Adrian Sams
| birth_date = 1940
| birth_place = ]
| death_date = 10 November 2005
| death_place =
| nationality = {{NZ}}
| known_for = Costume and stage design for ballet and opera
| training =
| movement =
| notable_works = Design for Turandot (1991), The Nutcracker (1992), Salome (1993) and Swan Lake (2002)
| patrons =
| awards = ] 1999 for Services to Dance
| website =
}}
'''Kristian Fredrikson''' (1940{{spaced ndash}}10 November 2005) was a ]-born ]n stage and costume designer working in ballet, opera and other performing arts. His work was acclaimed for its sumptuous, jewel-like quality, and a sensuous level of detail.


==Early life and training==
Fredrikson was born in ] as Kristian Adrian Sams, the son of a Danish merchant seaman and an Englishwoman. He began his career as a newspaper critic and journalist before studying art. His first stage design was for ''The Wintergarden'' in 1963. He had a long association with the ], the ] and ]. He designed operas including '']'' with Dame ]. He also worked on the Sydney Olympics opening ceremony.
Fredrikson may have given erroneous information about his birth name and family lineage that has been repeated in various media. Author Michelle Potter published a book about him in 2020 and established that he was born in ] as Frederick John Sams, and his father was Frederick Spencer Sams (1910-1996) and was born in New Zealand. In 1962 he took on the name Kristian Adrian Fredrikson, prior to that he signed his name F. J. S.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Potter|first=Michelle|date=2011-11-29|title=Kristian Fredrikson. 'What's in a name?'|url=https://michellepotter.org/articles/kristian-fredrikson-whats-in-a-name|access-date=2021-06-08|website=Michelle Potter|language=en-US}}</ref><ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite web|date=2020-08-12|title=KRISTIAN FREDRIKSON Designer|url=https://artsreview.com.au/kristian-fredrikson-designer/|access-date=2021-06-08|website=Australian Arts Review|language=en-AU}}</ref>


==Personality==
In 2005 he realised a long-held ambition to design all three of ]'s ballets. He designed ''The Nutcracker'' for the Royal New Zealand Ballet, ''Swan Lake'' for the Houston Ballet, and ''The Sleeping Beauty'' for the Australian Ballet. The last-named was the Australian Ballet's largest ever production, requiring 300 costumes and four major sets, and was still touring at the time of Fredrikson's death.


An intensely private, solitary figure, Fredrikson spent the last years living alone in a small dark flat in Kings Cross, Sydney. He felt he had been a 'goth' long before they were fashionable. As a child, he and his mother had been physically attacked in Christchurch for being Catholic in a Protestant area, and the experience had contributed to his feelings of alienation from mainstream society.
Fredrikson died in Sydney at about age 65 of lung failure, following complications of pneumonia. He was intensely private, and never revealed his age.


His aesthetic sense was cultivated at school by two nuns. The mother superior gave him, he said, a "sexy, sensual, erotic, decadent book about the pleasure of the flesh, the pleasure of colour, of jewels, of life. She gave it all to me and said 'You can read that, but don't tell anyone."<ref name="obit">{{Cite web |date=2005-11-19 |title=Every part of his soul on stage |url=https://www.smh.com.au/national/every-part-of-his-soul-on-stage-20051119-gdmhr0.html |access-date=2023-02-02 |website=The Sydney Morning Herald |language=en}}</ref>
==Personality==

Fredrikson said his art work had "grown out of my most private sexual being. Translated, I suppose that means that's how I ran into ]."<ref name=obit/> His deep love for the music of Tchaikovsky coloured his life. Dame ], who commissioned his first design for the Australian Ballet, told him he had to spend a weekend with an older male designer who lived in Sydney's Blue Mountains. Fredrikson said she told him: "The first thing is, he'll throw you on the carpet and rape you." He did, and Fredrikson believed it was "all part of the deal. It seemed to be like part of the Mephistophelean code. That's what you do."<ref name=obit/>

==Stage design==
Fredrikson began his career as a newspaper critic and journalist and began taking art classes at ] while writing for Wellington newspapers, and then became apprenticed to a local theatrical designer.<ref name ='ACM'>{{cite web|title=Fredriksen, Kristian|url=http://collections.artscentremelbourne.com.au/paminter/imu.php?request=browse&irn=1656|website=Arts Centre Melbourne|accessdate=29 November 2015}}</ref>

His first stage design was for ''The Wintergarden'' in 1963. His costume design was described as "sumptuous, jewelled and beautiful, while allowing the wearer complete freedom of movement".<ref>{{cite web|title=Kristian Fredrikson, costumier|url=http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/photograph/43142/kristian-fredrikson-costumier|website=Te Ara - Encyclopedia of New Zealand|accessdate=29 November 2015}}</ref> He had a long association with the ], the ] and ]. He designed operas including '']'' for productions starring Dame ]. He also worked on the ] opening ceremony.

In 2005 Fredriksen realised a long-held ambition to design all three of ]'s ballets. He designed '']'' for the Royal New Zealand Ballet, '']'' for the ], and '']'' for the Australian Ballet. This last work was the Australian Ballet's largest ever production, requiring 300 costumes and four major sets, and was still touring at the time of Fredrikson's death.

=== List of stage designs ===

{{Incomplete list|date=November 2015}}

* Australian Ballet - ''Cinderella'', ''Coppelia'', ''The Nutcracker''
* Australian Ballet - ''Swan Lake'' (with Graeme Murphy)
* Australian Ballet/] - '']'' (with Graeme Murphy)
* Australian Opera - ''Turandot'', ''The Merry Widow'', ''Salome''
* Houston Ballet - ''Swan Lake''
* Royal New Zealand Ballet - ''Swan Lake'', ''Peter Pan'', ''A Christmas Carol''
* South Australian Opera - Verdi's ''Macbeth''
* ] - ''King Roger'', ''Body of Work''
* Sydney Theatre Company - ''Macbeth'', ''The School for Scandal'', ''A Doll’s House''
* Victoria State Opera - ''Don Carlos''
* Victoria State Opera - ''Carmen''
* ] - ''Albert Herring''

==Film and television design==

In Australia Fredriksen created costumes and undertook production design for a number of film and television productions including costumes for the feature films ''Undercover'', ''Sky Pirate'' and ''Short Changed'' and production design for television series ''Vietnam'', the mini-series ''Dirtwater Dynasty'' and mini-series ''The Shiralee''.<ref name ='Opera'>{{cite web|title=Kristian Fredriksen|url=https://opera.org.au/aboutus/our_artists/creative_teams/kristian-fredrikson|website=Opera Australia|accessdate=29 November 2015}}</ref>

==Collections==

Examples of Fredrikson's works are held by ], the ] and ].<ref name ='ACM'/><ref>{{cite web|title=Kristian Fredrikson|url=http://collections.tepapa.govt.nz/Person/26706|website=Te Papa|accessdate=29 November 2015}}</ref><ref name ='Dowse'>{{cite web|title=Bedazzled|url=http://dowse.org.nz/exhibitions/detail/bedazzled|website=The Dowse Art Museum|accessdate=29 November 2015}}</ref> An exhibition of his costume work for the Royal New Zealand Ballet was staged by The Dowse Art Museum in 2011 and subsequently toured to other regional art galleries in New Zealand.<ref name ='Dowse'/>

==Recognition==

Fredriksen received four Erik Design Awards in Australia and ] for ''After Venice'' (Sydney Dance Company - 1985), ''King Roger'' (1991), ''Turandot'' (1991), ''The Nutcracker'' (1992), ''Salome'' (1993) and ''Swan Lake'' (2002).<ref name ='Opera'/>

In 1999 he received the ] for Services to Dance.<ref name ='Opera'/>


The Kristian Fredrikson Scholarship for design in the performing arts was established in his honour in 2008.<ref>{{cite web|title=Kristian Fredrikson Scholarship|url=http://www.fredriksonscholarship.org/|website=Kristian Fredrikson Scholarship|accessdate=29 November 2015}}</ref>
A solitary figure, who spent the last years living alone in a small dark flat in Kings Cross, Sydney, Fredrikson felt he had been a 'goth' long before they were fashionable. As a child, he and his mother had been physically attacked in Christchurch for being Catholics in a Protestant area, and the experience had contributed to his feelings of alienation from mainstream society.


He has been written about in a book published by Melbourne Books ''Kristian Fredrikson: Designer'' by Michelle Potter in 2020.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Book Release: Kristian Fredrikson, Designer by Michelle Potter — RNZB|url=https://rnzb.org.nz/news/book-release-kristian-fredrikson-designer-by-michelle-potter/|access-date=2021-06-08|website=Radio New Zealand|language=en-NZ}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite web|title=Kristian Fredrikson: Designer - A major theatre designer of his generation|url=https://www.theatreview.org.nz/reviews/review.php?id=12401|access-date=2021-06-08|website=TheatreView}}</ref>
His aesthetic sense was cultivated at school by two nuns. The mother superior gave him a book, he said a "sexy, sensual, erotic, decadent book about the pleasure of the flesh, the pleasure of colour, of jewels, of life. She gave it all to me and said 'You can read that, but don't tell anyone."{{ref|SMH}}


==Death==
Fredrikson said his art work had "grown out of my most private sexual being. Translated, I suppose that means that's how I ran into Tchaikovsky."{{ref|SMH}} His deep love for the music of Tchaikovsky coloured his life. ] who commissioned his first design for the Australian Ballet told him he had to spend a weekend with an older male designer who lived in Sydney's Blue Mountains. Fredrikson said she told him: "The first thing is, he'll throw you on the carpet and rape you." He did, and he believed it was "all part of the deal. It seemed to be like part of the Mephistophelean code. That's what you do."{{ref|SMH}}
Once a heavy smoker, Fredrikson's lungs were weakened by ]. He died in ] of lung failure, at about age 65, following complications from ].


==Notes== ==References==
{{reflist}}


==External links==
{{note|SMH}}1,2,3: Sydney Morning Herald, 19 November 2005: Kristian Fredrikson, Designer, 1940-2005
* is strongly represented in the ] at ], with an extensive collection of costume designs, costumes, scrapbook and sketchbooks.
*{{usurped|1=}}
*Rosalie Higson. , ''The Australian'', 12 November 2005
*Jo Roberts. , ''The Age'', 12 November 2005
*


{{Authority control}}
==Reference==
*Rosalie Higson. , ''The Australian'', November 12, 2005


] {{DEFAULTSORT:Fredrikson, Kristian}}
] ]
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Latest revision as of 12:07, 3 April 2024

Australian artist

Kristian Fredrikson
BornKristian Adrian Sams
1940
Wellington
Died10 November 2005
Nationality New Zealand
Known forCostume and stage design for ballet and opera
Notable workDesign for Turandot (1991), The Nutcracker (1992), Salome (1993) and Swan Lake (2002)
AwardsAustralian Dance Award 1999 for Services to Dance

Kristian Fredrikson (1940 – 10 November 2005) was a New Zealand-born Australian stage and costume designer working in ballet, opera and other performing arts. His work was acclaimed for its sumptuous, jewel-like quality, and a sensuous level of detail.

Early life and training

Fredrikson may have given erroneous information about his birth name and family lineage that has been repeated in various media. Author Michelle Potter published a book about him in 2020 and established that he was born in Wellington as Frederick John Sams, and his father was Frederick Spencer Sams (1910-1996) and was born in New Zealand. In 1962 he took on the name Kristian Adrian Fredrikson, prior to that he signed his name F. J. S.

Personality

An intensely private, solitary figure, Fredrikson spent the last years living alone in a small dark flat in Kings Cross, Sydney. He felt he had been a 'goth' long before they were fashionable. As a child, he and his mother had been physically attacked in Christchurch for being Catholic in a Protestant area, and the experience had contributed to his feelings of alienation from mainstream society.

His aesthetic sense was cultivated at school by two nuns. The mother superior gave him, he said, a "sexy, sensual, erotic, decadent book about the pleasure of the flesh, the pleasure of colour, of jewels, of life. She gave it all to me and said 'You can read that, but don't tell anyone."

Fredrikson said his art work had "grown out of my most private sexual being. Translated, I suppose that means that's how I ran into Tchaikovsky." His deep love for the music of Tchaikovsky coloured his life. Dame Peggy van Praagh, who commissioned his first design for the Australian Ballet, told him he had to spend a weekend with an older male designer who lived in Sydney's Blue Mountains. Fredrikson said she told him: "The first thing is, he'll throw you on the carpet and rape you." He did, and Fredrikson believed it was "all part of the deal. It seemed to be like part of the Mephistophelean code. That's what you do."

Stage design

Fredrikson began his career as a newspaper critic and journalist and began taking art classes at Wellington Polytechnic College while writing for Wellington newspapers, and then became apprenticed to a local theatrical designer.

His first stage design was for The Wintergarden in 1963. His costume design was described as "sumptuous, jewelled and beautiful, while allowing the wearer complete freedom of movement". He had a long association with the Royal New Zealand Ballet, the Australian Ballet and Opera Australia. He designed operas including Lucrezia Borgia for productions starring Dame Joan Sutherland. He also worked on the 2000 Sydney Summer Olympics opening ceremony.

In 2005 Fredriksen realised a long-held ambition to design all three of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's ballets. He designed The Nutcracker for the Royal New Zealand Ballet, Swan Lake for the Houston Ballet, and The Sleeping Beauty for the Australian Ballet. This last work was the Australian Ballet's largest ever production, requiring 300 costumes and four major sets, and was still touring at the time of Fredrikson's death.

List of stage designs

This list is incomplete; you can help by adding missing items. (November 2015)
  • Australian Ballet - Cinderella, Coppelia, The Nutcracker
  • Australian Ballet - Swan Lake (with Graeme Murphy)
  • Australian Ballet/Sydney Dance Company - Tivoli (with Graeme Murphy)
  • Australian Opera - Turandot, The Merry Widow, Salome
  • Houston Ballet - Swan Lake
  • Royal New Zealand Ballet - Swan Lake, Peter Pan, A Christmas Carol
  • South Australian Opera - Verdi's Macbeth
  • Sydney Dance Company - King Roger, Body of Work
  • Sydney Theatre Company - Macbeth, The School for Scandal, A Doll’s House
  • Victoria State Opera - Don Carlos
  • Victoria State Opera - Carmen
  • West Australian Opera - Albert Herring

Film and television design

In Australia Fredriksen created costumes and undertook production design for a number of film and television productions including costumes for the feature films Undercover, Sky Pirate and Short Changed and production design for television series Vietnam, the mini-series Dirtwater Dynasty and mini-series The Shiralee.

Collections

Examples of Fredrikson's works are held by Arts Centre Melbourne, the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa and The Dowse Art Museum. An exhibition of his costume work for the Royal New Zealand Ballet was staged by The Dowse Art Museum in 2011 and subsequently toured to other regional art galleries in New Zealand.

Recognition

Fredriksen received four Erik Design Awards in Australia and Green Room Awards for After Venice (Sydney Dance Company - 1985), King Roger (1991), Turandot (1991), The Nutcracker (1992), Salome (1993) and Swan Lake (2002).

In 1999 he received the Australian Dance Award for Services to Dance.

The Kristian Fredrikson Scholarship for design in the performing arts was established in his honour in 2008.

He has been written about in a book published by Melbourne Books Kristian Fredrikson: Designer by Michelle Potter in 2020.

Death

Once a heavy smoker, Fredrikson's lungs were weakened by emphysema. He died in Sydney of lung failure, at about age 65, following complications from pneumonia.

References

  1. Potter, Michelle (29 November 2011). "Kristian Fredrikson. 'What's in a name?'". Michelle Potter. Retrieved 8 June 2021.
  2. ^ "Kristian Fredrikson: Designer - A major theatre designer of his generation". TheatreView. Retrieved 8 June 2021.
  3. "KRISTIAN FREDRIKSON Designer". Australian Arts Review. 12 August 2020. Retrieved 8 June 2021.
  4. ^ "Every part of his soul on stage". The Sydney Morning Herald. 19 November 2005. Retrieved 2 February 2023.
  5. ^ "Fredriksen, Kristian". Arts Centre Melbourne. Retrieved 29 November 2015.
  6. "Kristian Fredrikson, costumier". Te Ara - Encyclopedia of New Zealand. Retrieved 29 November 2015.
  7. ^ "Kristian Fredriksen". Opera Australia. Retrieved 29 November 2015.
  8. "Kristian Fredrikson". Te Papa. Retrieved 29 November 2015.
  9. ^ "Bedazzled". The Dowse Art Museum. Retrieved 29 November 2015.
  10. "Kristian Fredrikson Scholarship". Kristian Fredrikson Scholarship. Retrieved 29 November 2015.
  11. "Book Release: Kristian Fredrikson, Designer by Michelle Potter — RNZB". Radio New Zealand. Retrieved 8 June 2021.

External links

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