Gunnar Nylund

GUNNAR NYLUND (1904-1997)

Gunnar Nylund was a Danish-Finnish ceramic artist, designer, and sculptor . He was one of the most renowned and prolific ceramicists of the 20th century. He is best known for his work with Swedish brand Rörstrand, one of the oldest ceramics manufacturers in Europe.

Born in Paris to a Danish mother and a Finnish-Swedish father, Nylund relocated several times before reaching adulthood.  He then studied and apprenticed in ceramics in Helsinki before returning once more to Copenhagen to study architecture at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts.

While enrolled at the academy, Nylund continued to practice ceramics with his father, who was a sculptor. He also took on extra work at the Bing & Gröndahl (B&G) porcelain factory, which was located next to the Royal Copenhagen factory (which later merged

with B&G ).  With B&G, Nylund exhibited at famed 1925 Internationale des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes expo in Paris led B&G . Following a three-year stint at B&G working under the guidance of Jean Gauguin, Nylund left in 1928 to establish the Nylund-Krebs studio with Nathalie Krebs. The duo's pioneering Saxbo range (1929) has become an icon of Scandinavian ceramic design.

The studio rebranded as Saxbo in 1930 to capitalize on the success of the collection. After two years, Nylund left to become the Artistic Director of Swedish company Rörstrand, a position he held until sometime between 1955 and 1959. During his tenure at Rörstrand, Nylund became known for smooth matte glazes, beautiful muted colors, and modernist shapes. He produced hundreds of designs for decorative objects, vases, pitchers, and tableware services.

Nylund also held the Artistic Director position in Strömbergshyttans glassworks in Sweden from circa 1954 to 1967, alongside freelancing for the Nymölle ceramics factory in Denmark and the Glimma glassworks in Glimåkra, Sweden.

In addition to a successful career in ceramics production,  Nylund, like his father before him  was also an accomplished sculptor. Many of the public works commissioned sculptures are housed in Swedish museums, including the National Museum in Stockholm, Röhsska Museum in Gothenburg, Malmö Art Museum, Höganäs Museum, and Rörstrand Museum in Lidköping. The collections are conatinaed within the Danish Museum of Art & Design, Ateneum Art Museum in Helsinki, Latvian National Museum of Art in Riga, and the National Ceramics Museum of Sèvres in Paris also own Nylund designs.