Jens Ritter is a German artist and Master Luthier whose work centers on the functional, sculptural, and cultural potential of the electric guitar. Raised in an environment shaped by craftsmanship, art, and music, he developed a distinct creative language early in life, later refining it through mechanical arts studies and hands-on training within his family’s workshop tradition. Since the late 1990s, Ritter has created avant-garde electric guitars for internationally renowned musicians, and his works are recognized for their unique design, refined tone, and exceptional playability.

Ritter lives and works in Deidesheim, South-Western Germany, where his atelier is located in a historic 17th-century winery. There, he and his team craft a limited number of pieces each year, ranging from high-end instruments to sculptural and conceptual artworks.

His practice includes projects such as the “SLEEPING BEAUTIES” - high-end electric guitars sealed for 100 years - and the “INTUNE FRAMES” - hand-painted artworks or high-resolution photographic prints that conceal a fully functional electric guitar within them.

Works by Jens Ritter are part of the permanent collections of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C., the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, and the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, in addition to numerous other institutions across the globe.

His pieces are owned by art collectors and musicians worldwide, including Prince, Lady Gaga, George Benson, Nile Rodgers, Mary J. Blige, members of the Grateful Dead, and numerous others.

For those who follow his work – from musicians and collectors to museum curators – Ritter has become known as:

"The fusion of Stradivarius and Picasso!"
‍(Kennith Kimery / Smithsonian Institution Washington D.C.)