Wilhelm Kåge (1889-1960) first gained notoriety in Sweden for his colorful posters during the 1910s. He soon attracted the attention of the Gustavsberg factory which sought out artists with new ideas. Kåge accepted the offer from the factory, despite his lack of experience in ceramic production. His task was to add an artistic touch to the factory’s functional items.

Within a year, Kåge had created the functional tableware series, “Liljeblå” (Lily Blue). The series became a success at the Liljevalchs Exhibition in Stockholm in 1917, which is noted as the birthplace of the modern Swedish art industry. It was the first time that artists and industries came together to create beautiful yet practical home decor. After the exhibition, Kåge was appointed artistic leader for Gustavsberg. Under his leadership, the Gustavsberg tableware series followed functionalist ideas regarding rational production and multi-functional parts.

Kåge then presented the Farsta set – his most exclusive ceramic work – at the Stockholm Exhibition of 1930. The set comprises vases and urns, sculptures, ashtrays, and half-meter high pieces, all with a discernible presence and aura of quality. The pieces are marked with “Farsta” and are regarded as nobility in the world of Swedish pottery.

Wilhelm Kåge initiated the Gustavsberg studio in 1942, which would become the creative hub of the ceramic factory. The high-quality artworks were marked with the Gustavsberg studio hand in different colors. Kåge mainly added the studio hand in brown. Other artists used blue, black, yellow and red colors.

Berndt Friberg (1899-1981) was hired by the Gustavsberg factory in 1934. During his first years, he worked as a thrower for Wilhelm Kåge. Friberg’s arrival was marked by a significant increase in the quality of Kåge’s art pieces. Soon enough, he became the undisputed master thrower at Gustavsberg. Through his early career, Friberg wasn’t known for his artistic ambition. His artistic debut wouldn’t come until the age of 42. He became known as a perfectionist with an eye for delicate, sensuous forms and magnificent glazes.

Friberg’s artworks ranged in size from no higher than a few centimeters to large floor vases. The contours were reminiscent of classic styles, including Chinese stoneware from the Song Dynasty. He continually refined his many glazes, recording the details in his famous “black book.”

The young art student Stig Lindberg (1916-1982) went unannounced to the Gustavsberg factory in 1937 looking for a summer job. The skinny, odd-looking young man exuded confidence: ”If you hire me, I will ensure that there will be jobs in the factory.” Lindberg was hired as an assistant but climbed fast through the ranks because of his frenetic energy and wealth of fresh ideas.

Wilhelm Kåge and Stig Lindberg jointly developed the noteworthy faience production through the late 1930s and early 1940s. The faience objects were created from reddish earthenware, coated with a milky-white glaze and hand painted bold colored decor. The floral motifs of the 1940s slowly gave way to the era-typical geometrical decor of the 1950s and 1960s. The faience series became a huge success and is still one of the most well-known symbols of Swedish mid-century design.

In 1949, Stig Lindberg succeeded Wilhelm Kåge as artistic leader. His influence was quickly felt across the entirety of the design world; from slender, delicate stoneware to TV sets, wash basins, tableware, home decor, textiles, children’s books, enamel, and glass art. It is easy to get lost in the sheer breadth of artistic production over Lindberg’s lifetime. He did not make a distinction between the artistic merit of industrial design and more traditional works of art. Lindberg famously noted, “A thumbtack holds for me as much poetry as a wildflower.”

Lisa Larson (1931-) was hired by Stig Lindberg in 1954 after performing well in a Scandinavian school competition. The Gustavsberg factory flourished in the 1950s and 60s, and Larson quickly became one of the most notable designers. Her serial production often depicted people and animals with rounded and swelling shapes. The expression was warm-hearted, humorous, and sometimes subtly ironic.

Rustic primitive art often inspires Larson’s unique artworks. Spontaneous whim is generally treasured more than perfectionism. She frequently experiments with traditional techniques, incised decorations, rough surfaces and matte glazes in her unique production.

Lisa Larson always mixes the stoneware clay with chamotte, a finely crushed oven-proof ceramic. The chamotte stoneware gives the art work the large grained rustic look which is the characteristic of her pottery.

The 1970s and 1980s became more difficult times for Gustavsberg. The factory found it harder to compete with pottery production from low-income countries. In 1987, the factory was sold to foreign interests, and soon after that production ended in Gustavsberg.

But soon enough, hand-made pottery was once again crafted in the area. Lisa Larson and her former fellow workers started Ceramic Studio Gustavsberg (Keramikstudion Gustavsberg) in 1991, and the cooperation revitalized her artistry. In 1996, the Gustavsberg factory was restarted as a worker cooperative, with small-scale production of some of Stig Lindberg’s tableware series. The Ceramic Studio and Gustavsberg factory carry forward the more than 200-year-long tradition of hand-made pottery production in Gustavsberg.