This ceramic tile is from the UNIK series, created in 1967 by Sweden's leading ceramic artist Lisa Larson. That year, Lisa Larson designed nine types of ceramic tile, including sunflowers, cats, birds, horses, and elephants. This work is a ceramic tile depicting sunflowers. Each piece was handmade at Gustavsberg Studio, an atelier in Stockholm's capital.
This is a sunflower ceramic tile with a special color pattern that is not listed in the catalog. It is a very rare, unique piece made as a prototype. The back is not a tongue-shaped metal fitting as seen in the normal UNIK series, but a style in which wire is passed through both holes. This is a feature seen in the prototype stage works when the UNIK series was conceived in the late 1960s, before mass-produced products were sold.
At the time, the form of the ceramic plate was decided, but the color and thickness of the glaze were not. Therefore, experimental works were created by experimenting with the color and thickness of the glaze. In the process, ceramic plates with special color patterns different from the usual UNIK series were created, and they have been passed down to the present day as sample works.
The biggest feature of this product is that, unlike the usual sunflower ceramic panels , the petals in the center are whitish, and the petals, which are originally blue, are rendered in yellow. Unlike the regular version, it is rendered in gentle colors, making it a one-of-a-kind piece.
The signature on the bottom right of the front is a stamp, but mass-produced items have the name spelled out in block script and also have the Gustavsberg manufacturer's stamp. The early UNIK series is characterized by a hand-carved stamp, and the wire style on the back also indicates that it is an early work.
■ Detailed specifications
Manufacturer: Gustavsberg Designer: Lisa Larson Series name: UNIK Work name: Solros / Sunflowers Production date: Around 1967 (estimated)
UNIK series production period: 1967-1986 Condition: ★★★★★ (5: Complete)
The wire on the back shows signs of aging, but it can still be used as a wall hanging without any problems. There are no cracks or chips, and the ceramic tile is of excellent quality, retaining its original appearance.
■Size
Length and width: 22.5cm Thickness: 0.7cm
Gustavsberg's G-Studion
Apart from the mass production line, Gustavsberg had a department called G-Studion. Famous designers such as Willhelm Koge, Stig Lindberg and Lisa Larsson created their artwork here.
Founded in 1942, G Studio was a group of artists, designers, craftsmen and illustrators whose activities ranged from creative work to exhibition ceramics, public space art production and industrial design. . It operated until 1993 and served as an ``aesthetic laboratory''. It was also responsible for providing design ideas for Gustavsberg's mass-produced products.
G-Studio was a renovated atelier in an old building from a ceramics factory in Gustavsberg, and was a hub for more than 100 artists and craftsmen. It is no exaggeration to say that Gustavsberg's ceramic tradition of the 20th century originated from here. It was a centerpiece of the Swedish art and design world and served as a breeding ground for new creativity.
Each piece of G Studio's work is handmade, and there are videos showing the production process. The video shows a man wearing round glasses, designer Stig Lindberg. And on the right side you can see Willhelm Koge, who was the studio director.
Lisa Larson
Lisa Larson (1931-2024)
A world-renowned Swedish ceramicist, he was born in Härlunda, a village of about 500 people in the Älmhult district of Kronoberg county in the Småland region in southern Sweden.
As a child, she aspired to be a fashion designer, but after enrolling at the Gothenburg Academy of Art, she studied ceramics. One day, she was discovered by Stig Lindberg at a competition, and after a one-year probationary period, she officially joined Gustavsberg as a designer. Shortly thereafter, in 1955, she released the Lilla Zoo series, and in 1964, she came up with the Afrika series, famous for its lion statues.
Lisa Larson has not only worked for Gustavsberg, but has also provided designs for Höganäs, the major domestic retailer Åhléns, and the German ceramic manufacturer Rosenthal. After leaving Gustavsberg in 1979, she became a freelance artist, working on a voluntary basis with companies, rather than as an exclusive contractor, and continued to work freely in various fields. In 1979 and 1981, she held solo exhibitions at Seibu Department Store in Tokyo, and the 1981 exhibition was visited by a total of 70,000 people.