Stig Lindberg – A Short Biography

Pioneering and folksy, Renaissance man and designer extraordinaire. There are countless ways to describe Stig Lindberg. Above all, he was one of the designers who put color and form to mid-century Sweden. Stig’s influence was quickly felt across the entirety of the design world; from slender, delicate stoneware to TV sets, washbasins, 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 Stig’s lifetime. 

From the north of Sweden to Gustavsberg

Stig Lindberg was born in 1916 in the northern Swedish city of Umea. According to his own account, he was a ”polite and well-behaved child.” Stig’s first love in life was piano music, and he planned a career as a concert pianist.

At 14 years of age, Stig cut off his thumb while chopping wood. During the period of convalescence, he discovered his life-long interest for drawing; replacing the piano keys with his new love of paper and pen.

In 1935, Stig began to study drawing at the University College of Arts, Crafts, and Design in Stockholm. Two years later, he went unannounced to the Gustavsberg Porcelain Factory in the Stockholm archipelago to look 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.”

Stig was offered a summer job and would continue his work at the Gustavsberg Factory for 45 years. The factory in Gustavsberg was the most notable of the large number of ceramic producers in Sweden at the time. When Stig arrived at the factory, a team of recognized artists, such as Wilhelm Kage and Berndt Friberg, was already in place.

Early Gustavsberg years - from adept to artistic leader

Stig Lindberg was not the only young art student working for Gustavsberg. The artistic leader, Wilhelm Kage, had an entire group of assistants at his disposal. These aspiring young art students had tenuous employment contracts and often performed only basic duties. The role of assistant and errand boy; however, would be short-lived for Stig.

Left image, wall plaque with Lindbergesque motif. Right image, Stig and fellow assistants behind Wilhelm Kage.

Stig quickly distinguished himself at Gustavsberg by exhibiting magnificent drawing techniques and sharing his wealth of ideas. Kåge was impressed by this young adept and opened the door to a more prominent role in the factory while offering Stig greater artistic freedom. From the beginning, Stig churned out ideas at an unprecedented rate, which would become a signature characteristic for the rest his career. The most noteworthy contributions of the 1940s were the revitalization of faience objects and the Parian series.

Left image, Stig hand decorating a faience object. Right image, faience bowl with lid.

Together, Stig and Wilhelm Kage developed the diverse and extensive faience production in the late 1930s and early 1940s. The vases, dishes, and bowls were formed from reddish earthenware then coated with a milky-white glaze and hand painted with bold colors and elaborate decor. The floral motifs of the 1940s slowly gave way to era-typical geometrical decor in the 1950s and 1960s. The objects were often marked by the blue studio hand, the symbol of Stig Lindberg. The faience series was a huge success and is still one of the most well known symbols of Swedish mid-century design.

Left image, Narcissus from the Parian series. Right image, Stig Lindberg holding a original Narcissus. 

Stig crafted the groundbreaking, surrealistic Parian series in the 1940’s. The series consisted of seven sculptural objects made of Parian porcelain. The objects are generally considered as modernistic interpretations of Gustavberg’s famous 19th century Parian sculptures. The series was reintroduced in the 1960’s in a limited edition.

Left image, Stig inspecting a co-worker painting a faience vase. Right image, unique decanter with head and hands as corks. 

Wilhelm Kage was slowly relinquishing the role of artistic leader to Lindberg in the late 1940s. In 1949, the 33 year-old Stig was chosen as Kage’s successor. The unconventional choice for artistic leader was frowned upon by the traditionalists among the Gustavsberg workforce.

Rising fame

In the 1950s, Stig Lindberg built upon his notoriety to become the public face of Gustavsberg Factory. He was a one-man publicity machine, elevating the public’s interest in the often-troubled factory. Stig was a media genius. The notoriety he achieved in his time equates to that of today’s celebrity designers, bloggers, project managers, and party organizers. Stig did not make a distinction between the artistic merit of industrial design and more traditional works of art. He famously noted, "A thumbtack holds for me as much poetry as a wildflower.”

Surrealism for Kids

From the end of the 1940s to the end of the 1950s, Stig Lindberg created playfully absurd and surrealistic illustrations for Swedish children’s books. Stig’s drawings expressed a witty and cheerful attitude towards life. With his goofy looks and playful antics, the rascal Krakel Spektakel was his most well known character. Stig’s illustrated children’s books may just be a hiccup in his large catalogue of work, but what a wonderful hiccup it was!

Modern, modern, modern!

Stig Lindberg's works from the 1950s are characterized by streamlined perfection. Series such as Pungo (1953) and Reptile (1953) received a strong reception in Scandinavia. But the work that was met with the warmest reception by both design experts and the general public alike was the series Domino, unveiled at the Helsingborg Exhibition of 1955. Conical, square, cylindrical and shapes round like a ball in graphic contrasts of black and white. Wow, talk about modern!

Bersa Forever

Over the years, the extremely popular Bersa tableware line has become a symbol of Swedish design, Gustavsberg Porcelain, and Stig Lindberg alike. It was launched in 1960 and was in production until 1974. The pattern was designed by Krister Karlmark, later to be a professor at the University College of Arts, Crafts, and Design, but at that time assistant to Stig Lindberg. Stig commissioned the pattern, approved it, colored it, and put it into production on his new ultra functional tableware design. One could say that Bersa was a "match made in heaven” between the flowery and the austere, between the unnecessary and the necessary, between the public and the artist.

Left image, Stig inspecting the Comedia deck of cards. Right image, Bersa tableware from 1960.

40 years of unique artworks

Stig Lindberg’s unique production covers more than 40 years of artistry in the Gustavsberg studio. The vases often have traditional and well-balanced form with incised marks. These marks serve to catch the running glaze, creating a satisfyingly complex surface texture. The individual sculptures are more surrealistic and whimsical in their expression. They are usually highly sought after by collectors. Stig used different year marks for his unique production.

Left image, incised year marks for the unique production. Right image, Stig decorating a school class room.

Family life

Stig Lindberg met his future wife at a young age. ”When I saw her the first time, I was bedazzled, and rode into a birch. I have never regretted that traffic accident”, Stig said later. Gunnel was paralyzed early after suffering from polio during the childhood. They got three children together.

Left image, Stig with his two daughters. Right image, unique bowl with turquoise and brown glaze.

The last years

Stig Lindberg created several new dinnerware lines in the 1970s, but his work was not as well received as previous designs. The surreal, playful, and superbly personal nature of his design had waned. Perhaps he had lost his ability to detect and challenge contemporary dreams and desires? That is not so surprising after 40 years of almost uninterrupted work where there never seemed to be enough hours in the day. Stig's final years were marked by his absence from Gustavsberg. He worked sporadically, made a series of valued prints and launched a few ceramic series. Stig otherwise lived a quiet life in Italy, where he died at 65 years old. The flags are said to have lowered to half-mast in Gustavsberg.

An Overview of Stig Lindberg’s Artwork Series

Among Nordic pottery collectors, Stig Lindberg’s artwork series are often of great interest. But you can easily get lost among the vast number of objects from the Swedish pottery virtuoso. We therefor would like to present an overview of his artwork in serial production in 1939-1977. Our focus will be on series containing bowls, candleholders, dishes, figurines, and vases. Every series is presented with name, design year, material, and a photo of one of the objects.