Robert Lee Morris

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For other persons of the same name, see Robert Morris.

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Robert Lee Morris is a jewelry designer and sculptor who attributes much of his inspiration to forms he admires in nature. His designs have been made in gold, silver and bronze. He is an acknowledged leader of the art jewelry movement. He has collaborated or designed collections for fashion designers Kansai Yamamoto, Calvin Klein, Anne Klein and Donna Karan.

He was born in Nuremberg, Germany where his parents were stationed after the end of World War II. His father was in the US Air Force. They were also stationed in Japan when he was nine for 4 years and later in Brazil. He graduated from Beloit College with honors in 1969.

Morris was discovered in 1971 by New York gallery owner Joan Sonnebend and first exhibited at her art jewelry outpost in the Plaza Hotel called Sculpture to Wear. Shortly after Sculpture to Wear's closing in 1977, he opened the first edition of Artwear Gallery at 28 East 74th Street on the Upper East Side, near the couture district on Madison Avenue. Artwear relocated to SoHo in August 1978. Morris closed Artwear in 1995 and the RLM Robert Lee Morris Gallery opened in September 1995 at 400 West Broadway, focusing exclusively on Morris' own work.

His career initially took off after being shown on the cover of Vogue in 1976. Vogue featured his work for 7 years in 49 consecutive issues. Known primarily for his high profile collaborations with leading fashion designers, especially Geoffrey Beene, Karl Lagerfeld, Kansai Yamamoto, Calvin Klein, Ann Klein, Michael Kors and Donna Karan. Morris recently designed Karan's new perfume bottle "Gold", for Estee Lauder.

Robert Lee Morris recently was awarded the Geoffrey Beene Lifetime Achievement award from the Council of Fashion Designers, (CFDA). He was also awarded the Coty award in 1981 for his collection for Calvin Klein, and received two additional CFDA awards for accessory design, one in 1985 and the other in 1994.

He also is a presence on QVC, where he sells products on air.