MANHATTAN, N.Y. - s4story -- New York, NY — Artist Roland de Fries, a 2024–2025 Merit Scholarship recipient at the Art Students League of New York, is currently exhibiting new work in the League's distinguished Merit Scholarship Award Exhibition at the historic Phyllis Harriman Mason Gallery on 57th Street. His painting The Listing (The Birkin Bag) has quickly emerged as one of the exhibition's defining works, drawing significant attention from visitors, fellow artists, and collectors.

The Art Students League recently spotlighted de Fries in its official newsletter, noting the reception of The Listing (The Birkin Bag) and acknowledging its forthcoming inclusion in CONTEXT Art Miami, December 2–7, 2025 — marking de Fries' third consecutive year exhibiting at the international fair during Miami Art Week. He will be represented by Tatyana Enkin with ArtLabbé Gallery, at Booth A13.

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A PRACTICE AT THE CROSSROADS OF IMAGE, DESIRE, AND LUXURY

An American–German artist of Belgian descent, de Fries brings to painting an exacting visual intelligence shaped by his prior career in graphic design and visual communication. His work explores how luxury objects function as contemporary icons — cultural markers shaped by aspiration, scarcity, and digital image-making.

The Listing (The Birkin Bag) uses the iconic Hermès Birkin Prototype as an anchor for a broader inquiry into value systems and the aesthetics of desire. While unmistakably contemporary, the work belongs to a lineage that includes Ed Ruscha, James Rosenquist, and other artists who transitioned from commercial image-making into refined, concept-driven practices. De Fries's quiet, analytical approach echoes that tradition while clearly defining a voice that is his own.

Art Students League Merit Scholarship Award Exhibition
Phyllis Harriman Mason Gallery

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215 West 57th Street, New York, NY
Through November 23, 2025

UPCOMING

CONTEXT Art Miami 2025
December 2–7, 2025
Represented by Tatyana Enkin with ArtLabbé Gallery
Booth A13

ABOUT THE ARTIST

Roland de Fries is an American–German artist of Belgian descent living and working in New York City. Educated at the Academy of Fine Arts Stuttgart (BFA, MFA) and the University of Stuttgart in philosophy and aesthetics. His work has been exhibited internationally, with highlights at Villa Hügel, Essen; the International Short Film Festival Munich; Imaging Rural at Brooklyn Bridge Park; Undercroft Gallery, 1085 Fifth Avenue; 1000Museum, Miami; MIAF K-Art Seoul (2023); CONTEXT Art Miami (2023, 2024, 2025). He is a 2024–2025 Merit Scholarship recipient Art Students League of New York.

Weblink: https://www.artsy.net/artwork/roland-de-fries-the-listing-the-birkin-bag

PRESS CONTACT

Susan Ward, Artist Studio Contact, (917) 749-3237, susan@hudsonvandam.com