the gothenburg exhibition in 1923 and the Paris exhibition of 1925 gave the school of art and design in Sweden, a major international breakthrough. The Swedish pavilion in Paris, designed by Carl Bergsten, won 36 grand prix, 46 gold medals. The praise response was amazing over everything from Orrefors graceful, engraved glass, exclusive furniture from NK, porcelain from Gustavsberg, gjutjärnsföremål from Näfveqvarns bruk and Svenskt Tenn, to the textiles of Märta Måås-Fjetterström, and the Association of friends.
The much-lauded, neo-classical current has passed into history as Swedish grace. The term was coined by a british architecture writer in connection with the stockholm exhibition in 1930 – just in the period of transition when the decorative neoclassicism reached its climax and the stripped-down functionalism broke through.
Also, the stockholm exhibition was a formidable success for american architecture and design. ”Swedish modern”, a softer variant of the strict international modernism, had a heyday that stretched well into the 50’s.
Orosdi-Back has created a niche for itself with art books in paperback but also makes heavier bets. As the ”Swedish grace” with lyrics by Gunnela Ivanov and now the sequel ”Swedish modern” by Hedvig Hedqvist. Together, these stylishly-designed bricks close to four pounds!
Textintroduktionerna is only about 70 pages each, while the bildblocken is incredibly comprehensive. Design historian Christian Björk, the artist Eric Ericson (who started the Orosdi-Back) have made the selection to both volumes. A rigid checkup. ”Swedish grace” contains about 630 pictures and the ”Swedish modern” about 800.
Photos, drawings and sketches are taken from the large, well-known archive but also tracked in small, private business directory. Antique and auktionshandeln have helped with the newer föremålsbilder, and Eric Ericson himself with some fresh photographs.
all in All, a kulturbragd – especially bildurvalets geographical spread and the range among the designers. Famous names has been completed with the forgotten, which a lot of women and local producers.
It leads to a more colorful and more multi-faceted picture of the Swedish grace, Swedish modern. The transition between tradition and modernity is liquid and 30’s and are treated in both books. Several of the biggest names, Gunnar Asplund, was also active during both stilepokerna.
Damsalong by Uno Åhrén at the gothenburg exhibition 1923. Photo: Unknown
in the middle of the 50’s, when the Swedish mother’s innovative phase is said to have peaked with the housing H 55. Enough, there are good examples later, but the scope is already on the verge of unwieldy. And at the same time, just the width is the size the largest merit, then it is more than the publisher really mäktat with.
What I regret the most is that the current texts, the lack of page references to the images, which, moreover, is located in a custom order. It got me frustrated to scroll forward and back, sometimes without finding the relevant images. Nor is it possible to search on the name in the registry, only on the authors, whose first name crazy enough control bokstavsordningen in ”Swedish grace”.
But in particular, this volume fills a hole. Swedish grace is that stilepok even the right unexplored, despite the fact that it was an artistic highlight of the whole field of design, with the famous piece of art in the Stockholm city hall, Concert hall and public Library.
the Swedish Version the brokering of artists to the industry had a huge role to play for kvalitetshöjningen, but also the focus on traditional crafts. Ellen Key pleaded early for the ”beauty for all” and the inuential art historian Gregor Paulsson for the ”more beautiful objects for everyday life”.
the Author Gunnela Ivanov has a doctorate in just Paulsson and the Swedish Version business 1915-25. Her knowledgeable text, however, is on the academic vis peppery, with references, name and example, which obscures the history of the overview. Had the text and picture are integrated, could some data be saved to the photo caption.
the Swedish neo-classicism so quickly from a historical consciousness – in spite of its grace and high quality? Both Ivanov and Hedvig Hedqvist points to the functionalism prevalent arbiters, including Gregor Paulsson. As chairman of the Swedish painter and sculptor, he came to judge out of neoclassicism as a ”stilepok without tomorrow”.
To the disappointment of many, was ”more beautiful objects for everyday life” not ”for all” and progressive architects like Uno Åhrén took already in the middle of the 20th century away from its ”youthful mistakes”. Luxury products and decorative abundance he described as ”unspeakably disgusting”!
A similar attitude had the Nationalmuseum ”smakfostrare”, I have understood, and only a few of the 1920’s and the early 30 century fine furniture and works of art were acquired for the collection. It was not until the end of the 80’s before the prices of Swedish grace shot up in height. In the antique and auction market became Orrefors early art glass again internationally sought-after and kind in kind was rediscovered skilled furniture designers such as Axel Einar Hjorth, Carl Malmsten Carl Hörvik, as well as high-quality tin and cast iron products by designers such as Anna Peter.
And when the national museum re-opened in the autumn could many with me to enjoy the majority of the newly acquired objects from the 20th century, including praktpjäser from the paris exposition.
Damfåtölj by Uno Åhrén, exhibited in Paris in 1925. Photo: Bukowskis
Bildskatten in ”Swedish grace” gives even more to enjoy. But as antiknörd I had desired clearer information about the environments in which are preserved respectively destroyed and what is in the public collections. You get so eager to see the all the amazing buildings and the objects in the reality!
A highlight of the ”Swedish grace” are the images from the gothenburg exhibition, the entire 26 pages with cheeky and form varied buildings, signed Arvid Bjerke and Sigfrid Ericson. None of this is left in Gothenburg (I think in all cases), but Gunnar Asplund’s magnificent Karl Johansskolan that resembles an ancient temple. It also makes the lesser known Vaksalaskolan in Uppsala. Another gem is the Värmlands museum in Karlstad, inspired by chinese temples. And Tändstickspalatset in Stockholm, designed by Ivar Tengbom, should immediately have their unique interior protected from the more invasive procedures (see the journal of Architecture, 1/16).
It is also noticeable that the bildredaktörerna fallen in love with the 20th-century rich reserves of klassicerande the ornaments on the furniture, facades and enclosures – ”diversity” which according to them goes into ”functionalism silliness”.
How can a man then understand funkisens major impact in Sweden? A simple explanation is that the Swedish Version mission went hand in hand with the social democratic vision of the welfare state.
Uno Åhréns cabinets ”Paradise”, made of Mobilia in Malmö, sweden and was exhibited in Paris in 1925. The national museum received the precious cabinet of the association of friends 2018. Photo: Eric Phililipe
”Swedish modern” describes Hedvig Hedqvist the stockholm exhibition in 1930 that a ”very large project that would consolidate the modern Sweden”. The Swedish housing belonged to Europe’s worst, and the need for cheap, bright, well-presented and hygienic apartments was deplorable. A more rational construction process was, of necessity and a tight, odekorerat idiom facilitated industrial production.
Also the ”Swedish modern” contains the very name but proffskribenten Hedvig Hedqvist has a free languages and lightens up the text with fun quotes. As Gunnar Asplund’s claim that ”a German show just takes sakligheten – and that access to the beer, not the end”. This is in contrast to the stockholm exhibition, where he was the chief architect, whose ”nordic” type and partly wanted to ”give a push to development as well as cater to the requirements of beauty and festivitas”.
Hedqvist depicts the opening launch of Swedish modern, and its history, marked by leading Swedish architects, the close contacts with the radical Modernist. But it also includes the heated, domestic ”slöjdstriden”. Carl Malmsten belonged to the opposition against the passage of stilförtryck and parhästarna Estrid Ericson/Josef Frank attacked ”Slöjdföreningstråkigheten”. Customers appreciated nor the dogmatic functionalist cold, clean shaven aesthetics. Softer shapes, wood rather than steel and patterned upholstery won the audience’s approval.
Sofa by Carl Hörvik for the paris exposition of 1925. Photo: Eric Phillipe
hardly funkisens first decades in Sweden. In the ”Swedish modern” is swarming with varied environments – sleek, airy and at the same time functional. A small town Karlskoga has a very nice house of the People and the Halmstad town hall seems very lavish, with beautiful intarsiadörrar and wrought iron signed the surrealists Sven Jonson and Stellan Mörner. Villa Engkvist in Västberga (who disappeared during the 60’s rivningsraseri) belongs to the coolest I’ve seen, with a conservatory and everything.
Yes the huge ambitions it was during the Swedish mother’s heyday! Well-designed living environments would create good citizens and the social inequalities to be leveled. Although today we know that the urban plans instead could create segregation and there were eugenics play progressions in folkhemsbygget, so I want to promise that there is much to learn from both the ”Swedish grace” and the ”Swedish modern”.
A formulation of Sven Markelius, who quotes his German arkitektkollega Walter Gropius, I wish to dedicate our time to developers: ”start from the audience’s actual needs of drug users and the actual ability to pay”.
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