Nov 3, 2023
Modern Art + Design presents a collection of luminaires by Nordiska Kompaniet
Nordiska Kompaniet's Lighting Department
– Bukowskis is proud to present a unique collection of lighting fixtures from Nordiska Kompaniet.
Alongside Nordiska Kompaniet's (NK) renowned furniture department led by Axel Einar Hjorth, there existed a thriving lighting department that is relatively unknown today. This fall, Bukowskis will share the story of NK's lighting department, which held a prominent position during Sweden's golden age of design from the 1920s to the 1950s. They created fixtures for various important interiors and exhibitions of the time.
Nordiska Kompaniet is an integral part of Swedish design history. The brand was founded in 1902, and merely two years later, in 1904, NK's factories were established in Nyköping. These factories played a pivotal role in the company's success, contributing to the renowned quality that would define NK's reputation. Employing around 500 workers, the factories became the largest industry in Nyköping.
> Luminaires from the collection, Nordiska Kompaniet, 1920 – 50-talet.
In NK's factories, a wide range of fixtures, including custom-made and mass-produced options, were designed by the company's leading lighting architects, including Erik Tidstrand, Bertil Brisborg, Olle Elmgren, and others. In addition to creating fixtures for department stores, they were also involved in prestigious interior design projects, producing lighting fixtures for significant locations like Stockholm City Hall, the Concert Hall, the American Line flagship M/S Kungsholm, Tändstickspalatset, as well as renowned restaurants, theaters, and cinemas. The collection being presented at Modern Art + Design spans from the 1920s to the 1950s and exemplifies distinctive styles of the era, such as Swedish Grace and Swedish Modern.
NK's lighting department - a hidden treasure
NK's lighting department quickly rose to become a pioneering fixtures company in Sweden, ushering in a new era of innovative designs and modern aesthetics. These fixtures were prominently displayed on the third floor, while a small workshop for manufacturing and assembly of lamps was also located within the department store.
> Window facing Hamngatan, 1934.
In the 1920s, Nordiska Kompaniet initiated a collaboration with Orrefors, the leading art glass manufacturer of the time. NK's architects, Erik Tidstrand and Olle Elmgren, partnered with Orrefors' designers, Simon Gate and Edward Hald, to create exclusive lighting fixtures for public spaces, as well as for NK's and Orrefors' own product lines. This collaboration led to a range of fixtures, including those for the Concert Hall in Stockholm and M/S Kungsholm, among others. Orrefors was responsible for crafting the glass details and shades, while Erik Tidstrand and his team at NK designed and constructed the fixtures. These were then produced in the metal factories in Nyköping.
> An architect at his drawing table in NK's factories and NK's lighting catalogue, 1938.
The most significant lighting architects
Erik Tidstrand
Erik Tidstrand (1876-1944) was the head of NK's lighting department from 1901 until his retirement in 1943. He began his career at Leja and KM Lundberg, which later merged to form Nordiska Kompaniet (NK) in 1902. Tidstrand is considered one of the most significant lighting architects in Swedish lighting history during the first half of the 20th century. Examples of his successful collaborations include Ivar Tengbom's fixtures for the Concert Hall and the Tändstickspalatset, and Carl Bergsten's interior design for the passenger ship M/S Kungsholm. Another notable collaboration was the lighting he developed in partnership with NK's chief architect, Axel Einar Hjorth, for the interior design of Tössebageriet and Centrum-huset in Stockholm.
Tidstrand's fixtures were showcased at numerous prestigious national and international exhibitions during the first half of the 20th century, a period when Swedish Grace was the prevailing design ideal. These exhibitions included the 1925 World Exhibition in Paris, the 1929 World Exhibition in Barcelona, the 1930 Stockholm Exhibition, the 1937 World Exhibition in Paris, and many more.
Bertil Brisborg
Another designer who significantly influenced the company's design style was Bertil Brisborg (1910-1993), who served as the head of NK's lighting department from 1941, likely until the mid-1960s. He ushered the company into a new era and emerged as a prominent figure in shaping the new style ideals and aesthetics that we now recognize as Swedish Modern. One of the defining aspects of Brisborg's creations was his pioneering use of leather in lighting fixtures during the early 1940s, a groundbreaking development in Scandinavian lighting manufacturing at the time.
For the NK-Hantverk exhibition in 1947, Brisborg designed an entire collection that featured leather as a decorative material for table lamps, floor lamps, and even ceiling lamps. Brisborg led the development of the Triva fixture collection and designed several innovative fixtures throughout the 1940s and 1950s.
Olle Elmgren
Olle Elmgren (1894-1985) was a lighting architect at Nordiska Kompaniet from 1923 until his retirement in the 1960s. He worked alongside Erik Tidstrand and Bertil Brisborg and played a significant role in the development of NK's lighting fixtures. Elmgren is best known for his interior projects within churches and cinemas, but he also left his mark on prestigious projects such as the interior design of M/S Kungsholm and Ivar Kreuger's bank palace in Paris, as well as the creation of fixtures for the Stockholm Exhibition in 1930. Despite his long career, Elmgren is rarely mentioned for his designs. In depictions of Nordiska Kompaniet, he is typically portrayed as a reserved individual who primarily operated behind the scenes.
The collection from Nordiska Kompaniet will be sold at Modern Art & Design
Viewing: November 9 – 14, Berzelii Park 1, Stockholm
Open: weekdays 11 am – 6 pm, weekends 11 am – 4 pm
Live Auktion: November 15 – 16, Arsenalsgatan 2, Stockholm
Discover the full catalogue
Luminaires by Nordiska Kompaniet
192
Melchior Wernstedt
A pair of table lamps, model "25760", Nordiska Kompaniet, 1920s.
Hammer price
20 000 SEK
Estimate
12 000 - 15 000 SEK
193
Erik Tidstrand
& Edward Hald, a ceiling lamp, model "27719", Nordiska Kompaniet & Orrefors, 1920-30s.
Hammer price
15 000 SEK
Estimate
10 000 - 15 000 SEK
194
Edward Hald
& Erik Tidstrand, a ceiling lamp, Nordiska Kompaniet & Orrefors, executed ca 1926.
Hammer price
18 000 SEK
Estimate
25 000 - 30 000 SEK
195
Simon Gate
& Erik Tidstrand, a ceiling lamp, model "26268 / GD. 5.", Nordiska Kompaniet and Orrefors, executed ca 1926.
Hammer price
70 000 SEK
Estimate
35 000 - 40 000 SEK
196
Erik Tidstrand
A pair of table lamps, model "26550", Nordiska Kompaniet, 1920s.
Hammer price
26 000 SEK
Estimate
12 000 - 15 000 SEK
197
Erik Tidstrand
A floor lamp, Nordiska Kompaniet, 1929-30.
Hammer price
34 000 SEK
Estimate
20 000 - 25 000 SEK
198
Erik Tidstrand
A table lamp, model "27222", Nordiska Kompaniet 1920-30s.
Hammer price
12 000 SEK
Estimate
15 000 - 20 000 SEK
199
Erik Tidstrand
A ceiling lamp, model "28307", Nordiska Kompaniet, 1930s.
Hammer price
34 000 SEK
Estimate
20 000 - 30 000 SEK
200
Erik Tidstrand
A pair of table lamps, model "27524", Nordiska Kompaniet, 1920-30s.
Hammer price
24 000 SEK
Estimate
20 000 - 25 000 SEK
201
Erik Tidstrand
A pair of table lamps, model "28481", Nordiska Kompaniet, 1930s.
Hammer price
Unsold
Estimate
12 000 - 15 000 SEK
202
Erik Tidstrand
A pair of table lamps, model "29116", Nordiska Kompaniet, 1930s.
Hammer price
Unsold
Estimate
15 000 - 20 000 SEK
203
Erik Tidstrand
Ceiling lamp, model "28805", Nordiska Kompaniet, 1930s.
Hammer price
34 000 SEK
Estimate
20 000 - 25 000 SEK
204
Erik Tidstrand
A ceiling lamp, model "28973", Nordiska Kompaniet, 1930s.
Hammer price
11 000 SEK
Estimate
10 000 - 12 000 SEK
205
Erik Tidstrand
A pair of table lamps, modell "29379", Nordiska Kompaniet 1930s.
Hammer price
22 000 SEK
Estimate
20 000 - 25 000 SEK
206
Erik Tidstrand
A pair of table lamps, modell "29379", Nordiska Kompaniet 1930s.
Hammer price
20 000 SEK
Estimate
20 000 - 25 000 SEK
207
Erik Tidstrand
A table lamp, model "29428", Nordiska Kompaniet 1930s.
Hammer price
8 000 SEK
Estimate
10 000 - 15 000 SEK
208
Erik Tidstrand
A table lamp, model "29444", Nordiska Kompaniet, 1930s.
Hammer price
30 000 SEK
Estimate
15 000 - 20 000 SEK
209
Erik Tidstrand
A pair of wall lamps, model "20720", Nordiska Kompaniet 1930s.
Hammer price
7 500 SEK
Estimate
8 000 - 10 000 SEK
210
Erik Tidstrand
A ceiling lamp, model "29509", Nordiska Kompaniet 1930s.
Hammer price
7 500 SEK
Estimate
8 000 - 10 000 SEK
211
Erik Tidstrand
A table lamp, model "29602", Nordiska Kompaniet, 1930s.
Hammer price
34 000 SEK
Estimate
15 000 - 20 000 SEK
212
Erik Tidstrand
A pair of table lamps, model "29595", Nordiska Kompaniet, 1930s.
Hammer price
50 000 SEK
Estimate
25 000 - 30 000 SEK
213
Erik Tidstrand
A pair of floor lamps, model "29448", Nordiska Kompaniet 1930s.
Hammer price
38 000 SEK
Estimate
30 000 - 35 000 SEK
214
Erik Tidstrand
A floor lamp, model "29676", Nordiska Kompaniet, 1930-40s.
Hammer price
12 000 SEK
Estimate
15 000 - 20 000 SEK
215
Erik Tidstrand
A ceiling lamp, model "29294", Nordiska Kompaniet 1930s.
Hammer price
30 000 SEK
Estimate
20 000 - 25 000 SEK
216
Erik Tidstrand
Or Bertil Brisborg (Sverige) 1910-1993, table lamps, 1 pair, model "30246", Nordiska Kompaniet 1940s.
Hammer price
44 000 SEK
Estimate
25 000 - 30 000 SEK
217
Bertil Brisborg
Or Erik Tidstrand, a pair of table lamps, model "30331", Nordiska Kompaniet, 1940s.
Hammer price
44 000 SEK
Estimate
20 000 - 25 000 SEK
218
Bertil Brisborg
A pair of table lamps, model "30595", Nordiska Kompaniet, 1940s.
Hammer price
70 000 SEK
Estimate
30 000 - 35 000 SEK
219
Bertil Brisborg
Floor lamp, model "30631", Nordiska Kompaniet, 1940s.
Hammer price
42 000 SEK
Estimate
20 000 - 25 000 SEK
220
Bertil Brisborg
A table lamp, model "30950", Nordiska Kompaniet, 1940s.
Hammer price
9 000 SEK
Estimate
10 000 - 15 000 SEK
221
Bertil Brisborg
& Olle Elmgren, a pair of ceiling lamps, custom made, Nordiska Kompaniet 1940s.
Hammer price
75 000 SEK
Estimate
50 000 - 60 000 SEK
222
Bertil Brisborg
& Olle Elmgren, a pair of wall lamps, custom made, Nordiska Kompaniet 1940s.
Hammer price
55 000 SEK
Estimate
25 000 - 30 000 SEK
223
Bertil Brisborg
& Olle Elmgren, a wall lamp, custom made for the cinema "Forellen" in Luleå, Nordiska Kompaniet, circa 1951.
Hammer price
240 000 SEK
Estimate
150 000 - 200 000 SEK
224
Bertil Brisborg
A table lamp, model "31044", Nordiska Kompaniet 1940s.
Hammer price
12 000 SEK
Estimate
10 000 - 15 000 SEK
225
Bertil Brisborg
A table lamp, "NK-Hantverk", Nordiska Kompaniet, 1940s.
Hammer price
38 000 SEK
Estimate
25 000 - 30 000 SEK
226
Bertil Brisborg
& Olle Elmgren (1894-1985), a pair of floor lamps, model "31723","NK-Hantverk", Nordiska Kompaniet, 1940s.
Hammer price
40 000 SEK
Estimate
30 000 - 40 000 SEK
227
Bertil Brisborg
A floor lamp, model "32600", Nordiska Kompaniet 1950s.
Hammer price
13 000 SEK
Estimate
15 000 - 20 000 SEK
228
Bertil Brisborg
A pair of ceiling lamps, Nordiska Kompaniet 1940s.
Hammer price
Unsold
Estimate
30 000 - 40 000 SEK
229
Bertil Brisborg
A table lamp, Nordiska Kompaniet, 1940s.
Hammer price
19 000 SEK
Estimate
15 000 - 20 000 SEK
230
Bertil Brisborg
& Torsten Claeson (1893-1978), a table lamp, model, Triva "532-018", Nordiska Kompaniet, 1950s.
Hammer price
16 000 SEK
Estimate
15 000 - 20 000 SEK
231
Bertil Brisborg
Ceiling lamp, model "31234", Nordiska Kompaniet 1940-50s.
Hammer price
24 000 SEK
Estimate
25 000 - 30 000 SEK
232
Bertil Brisborg
A floor lamp, model "31644", Nordiska Kompaniet, 1940s.
Hammer price
20 000 SEK
Estimate
20 000 - 25 000 SEK
233
Bertil Brisborg
A floor lamp, model "32160", Nordiska kompaniet 1940s.
Hammer price
19 000 SEK
Estimate
15 000 - 20 000 SEK
234
Bertil Brisborg
& Åke Hultgren (Sweden 1931-2013), a pair of table lamps, model "2043", Nordiska Kompaniet 1940-50s.
Hammer price
30 000 SEK
Estimate
20 000 - 30 000 SEK
235
Bertil Brisborg
A floor lamp, model "32542", Nordiska Kompaniet 1950s.
Hammer price
11 000 SEK
Estimate
12 000 - 15 000 SEK
236
Bertil Brisborg
A table lamp, model "32929", Nordiska Kompaniet, 1950s.
Hammer price
8 000 SEK
Estimate
10 000 - 15 000 SEK
237
Bertil Brisborg
A ceiling lamp model '33224', Nordiska Kompaniet, 1950's.
Hammer price
6 000 SEK
Estimate
6 000 - 8 000 SEK
238
Bertil Brisborg
Table lamps 1 pair, model "33119", Nordiska Kompaniet, 1950s.
Hammer price
Unsold
Estimate
20 000 - 25 000 SEK
239
Bertil Brisborg
A floor lamp, model "1025", Nordiska Kompaniet, 1950s.
Hammer price
10 000 SEK
Estimate
15 000 - 20 000 SEK
240
Bertil Brisborg
Floor lamp, model Triva "531-012", Nordiska Kompaniet, 1950s.
Hammer price
10 000 SEK
Estimate
12 000 - 15 000 SEK
241
Bertil Brisborg
A pair of table lamps, model Triva "H55", Nordiska Kompaniet 1950s.
Hammer price
5 000 SEK
Estimate
6 000 - 8 000 SEK
242
Bertil Brisborg
A floor lamp, model Triva "531-011", Nordiska Kompaniet, 1950s.
Hammer price
12 000 SEK
Estimate
12 000 - 15 000 SEK
243
Bertil Brisborg
A floor lamp, model Triva "531-009", Nordiska Kompaniet 1950s.
Hammer price
28 000 SEK
Estimate
20 000 - 25 000 SEK
Condition report & requests Contact category specialist
Stockholm
Jonatan Jahn
Head Specialist Contemporary and Modern Design
+46 (0)703 92 88 60
Stockholm
Camilla Behrer
Head of Design/ Specialist Modern & Contemporary Decorative Art & Design
+46 (0)708 92 19 77
Stockholm
Eva Seeman
Chief Specialist Modern and Contemporary Decorative art and design
+46 (0)708 92 19 69
