Dish Designed by Birger Kaipiainen for Arabia

Monumental dish designed by Birger Kaipiainen for Arabia, Finland. 1960s. Stoneware. Measurements: L: 70.5 cm/ 2' 4'' H: 49.5 cm/ 19 1/2''

Wall sculpture 'Untitled' by Birger Kaipiainen, Finland, 1950s Signed.

Vase designed by Liisa Hallamaa for Arabia, Finland, 1950's. Stoneware. Measurements: H: 58,5 cm/ 1' 11 1/2" D: 18 cm/ 7"

Stoneware Bowl Designed by Aune Siimes for Arabia, Finland, 1950s Ceramic. Unique.

Dish designed by Carl-Harry Stålhane for Rörstrand, Sweden. 1960s. Stoneware. Signed. Measurements: H: 6 cm / 2 1/4" Diameter: 18.5 cm / 7 1/4". Carl-Harry Stålhane (1920-1990) was born in the town of Mariestad, in the west of Sweden. As a child, he dreamed of being a successful painter. He started working for Rorstrand in neighboring Lidkoping at the age of 18. Initially, he decorated ceramic wares as assistant for the leading artist Gunnar Nylund. Carl-Harry decorated Rorstrand’s exclusive Flambé range as well as producing idyllic floral designs. In the mid 1940s, Carl-Harry Stålhane began to develop his own stoneware. He had his first solo exhibition in 1948, impressing the public with an ability to work in most contemporary styles of stoneware. But after studying in Paris in the late 1940s, Carl-Harry found a style that was truly his own. Inspired by the hunger for new products to meet the post-war economic boom, he developed from being a gifted decorator to a first-rate ceramic artist. He was praised for his "column-like, slender-necked stoneware vases with their peach surfaces", as one magazine put it. Spurred on by a deep love of the ceramic wares of the Far East, Carl-Harry liberated himself from the European tradition of ceramics, finding inspiration in foreign cultures, in Picasso and in constructivist art. The 1950s brought major successes: a diploma and a gold medal at Milan Triennials as well as solo exhibitions in Sweden, the UK and the USA. Carl-Harry commenced his career as an industrial designer in 1954. His Blanca tableware — in elegant white porcelain — was much in demand and gained him international prizes. He designed almost everything from numerous table sets decorations to rustic ashtrays. Carl-Harry Stålhane’s production of unique ceramic works of art increased notably in the late 1950s. In 1960 he reached something of a peak with an exhibition at Galerie Blanche in Stockholm. The exhibition showed robustly dark wares that were hailed as the new ceramics...

Dish designed by Carl-Harry Stålhane for Rörstrand, Sweden. 1950s. Stoneware. Measures: Height: 3.2 cm / 1 1/4" Diameter: 18.5 cm / 7 1/4".

Birger Kaipiainen saw the world through a surreal and symbolic filter that made it more joyful, flowerful, and certainly more colourful. However, during times of grief, as when he lost his wife Maggi in 1966, he turned to blues, blacks and violets. Another such period was when Kaipiainen lost his dear friend, the Marimekko's founder and designer, Armi Ratia in 1979. Birger and Armi used to spend a lot of time at her legendary Bökars Mansion that had a wonderful veranda adorned with columns and chandeliers. Armi's loss was reflected in a few of Kaipiainen's works from that period. In those works (see last pics of dishes from the book Kaipiainen by Maria Berg) his interpretation of the duality of life and death was obvious. Also the symbolism bridging the two was present (reflection, bridges, boats, flowing waters). We can also see pansy flowers that he frequently used after the loss of his wife. In this unique dish, Kaipiainen used a lot of the above colours and elements, and just as Armi was the soul of their legendary parties, he introduced the golden harp...

Birger Kaipiainen (1915-1988) was the master of decorative ceramics at the Arabia factory in Finland. He was well known for his ornamental dishes that were rich, colourful and with themes from the fantasy world and fairytales, which actually fought against the idealism of the minimalistic movements in 1950s. Kaipiainen introduced ceramic beads to his art in the 60s' and the surface of the object became more important for Kaipianen´s art. This beautiful unique ceramic plate...

Amazing, unique stoneware platter by Birger Kaipiainen. Beautiful composition with deep red poppy flowers with seeds in relief in the center and butteflies scattered on the petals. ...

Birger Kaipiainen (1915-1988) was the master of decorative ceramics. He was well known for his rich and colourful ornamental dishes, with themes from the fantasy world and fairytales...

Birger Kaipiainen (1915-1988) was the master of decorative ceramics. He was especially known for his ornamental dishes, rich, colourful and with themes from the fantasy world and fai...

Birger Kaipiainen (1915-1988) was the master of decorative ceramics. He was especially known for his ornamental dishes, rich, colourful and with themes from the fantasy world and fai...