This fish sculpture was created in 1994 at Keramik Studion (K-Studion), an in-house workshop established at Gustavsberg. It is the actual sculpture featured in Lisa Larson's RETRO book. We were fortunate enough to receive it.
Lisa Larson left Gustavsberg in 1979 to work as a freelancer, but was later welcomed back by the company, where she was given an excellent position and an environment in which she could concentrate on her own creative endeavors. Lisa Larson, who was already a world-famous artist, produced this work at a technically high level.
This piece was originally exhibited and sold at NK ( Nordska Kompany), a long-established department store in Stockholm, Sweden, in 1992. Four types of fish were designed, and this piece is one of them. A smaller fish object without a stand was also produced around 2000, but this is the original created in the 1990s.
The piece is made of a wooden base and a metal shaft, depicting a dark blue fish swimming silently in the deep sea. The golden glaze gives the piece a unique metallic texture, even though it is made of ceramic. It is notable for its use of materials such as wood and iron, which is rare among Lisa Larson's works, and is a particularly large piece in her Ocean series.
Since her death, Lisa Larson's work has become more and more valuable. The Ocean series is a rare work that is rarely on the market. Don't miss this opportunity to see it.
■Details Manufacturer: Keramik Studion Gustavsberg / Gustavsberg K Studio
Designer: Lisa Larson Series name: Ocean Year: 1994 Country of origin: Sweden Condition: ★★★★★ (5: Complete)
There are no cracks, chips or crazing, and the condition is perfect, just as it was when it was made half a century ago. There is a slight wobble in the wooden base due to shrinkage over the years.
■Size
Height 27.5cm Width 24.5cm Thickness 4.5cm
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.