Christian Fregnan, born in Milan in 1983, began his creative career in 2011 at a small Italian workshop specialising in the restoration of antique furniture, located in the countryside near Milan, with which he has close ties. With Venetian roots, Fregnan often refers to his Italian heritage in the titles of his collections, such in the names ‘Calle’ and ‘Portego,’ reflecting elements of Venetian architecture.  

In 2017, he began an internship at Studio Valentin Loellmann, which quickly evolved into a role as a metalworking specialist. He owes this position to ten years of dedicated work on metal elements at the studio. At the same time, he developed his own practice and studio in Maastricht.

This work also fostered a friendship and mentoring relationship between Christian and Valentin, based on a shared sensibility for beauty and shaped by close and long-standing collaboration. Much of the skill and knowledge evident in Christian’s work today stems from the experience gained at the studio, particularly in working with brass, patinas and form.

Christian’s work is deeply rooted in experience and a strong dedication to craftsmanship. Drawn to the individuality of hands-on creation, he developed a distinctive method for bending and shaping solid metal sheets. Over time, this approach evolved into a central element of his practice: working with thin sheets of brass, carefully bent by hand and assembled through a process of layering. This technique now lies at the very heart of his work.