Gustavsberg 200 Years – Anniversary Section at Modern Art & Design

“There has always been a fairytale-like shimmer surrounding ceramic creation — perhaps above all due to the suspense of fire’s transformative power, the process in the kiln’s heat, when the soft clay turns hard, the matte glaze transforms into a gleaming shell, and the color comes alive in the decoration.”

In the foreword to the exhibition catalogue published in connection with Gustavsberg’s 150th anniversary exhibition at the Nationalmuseum in 1975, curator Eva Nordenson writes romantically about the porcelain factory in Gustavsberg’s harbor. Now, as Gustavsberg celebrates 200 years, the production from the golden age of the 20th century still carries that fairytale-like shimmer. A contributing factor to the factory’s esteemed status has been that the industrial artist’s individual creative efforts already played a prominent role in Gustavsberg’s production by the end of the 19th century. For this auction’s anniversary section, our ambition has been to reflect how these artistic contributions have been a significant element in the development of ceramic art throughout the 20th century. Presented here are unique studio pieces by some of the factory’s foremost designers, such as Wilhelm Kåge, Berndt Friberg, Stig Lindberg, Anders Bruno Liljefors, and Lisa Larson.