Swedish artist-designer Gunnar Nylund — who worked at iconic porcelain manufacturer Rörstrand for decades — was never satisfied with the status quo. He played with organic shapes, rich colors and dazzling patterns to create some of the most exquisite ceramic and porcelain sculptures, vessels and other furnishings and decor of the 20th century.
Born in Paris to artists Fernanda Jacobsen-Nylund and Felix Nylund, Gunnar lived in Finland as a child but when the Finnish Civil War broke out in 1918, he moved with his mother to her native Denmark. He initially pursued architecture at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts but cut his schooling short when he accepted a position at the Bing & Grøndahl porcelain factory, where he worked for artist Paul Gauguin’s son, Jean, for several years, creating a range of stoneware pieces.
Dissatisfied with the factory's traditional approach to art, Nylund moved on from Bing & Grøndahl and sought to create works in a modernist style. In 1929, Nylund and chemist Nathalie Krebs opened their own ceramics workshop called Saxbo in Saxbo, Denmark. The company’s works garnered praise at a Svenskt Tenn exhibition, and the prestigious Swedish manufacturer Rörstrand offered Nylund a position as creative director.
While he later worked for Nymolle Ceramic Factory in Denmark for a short period, Nylund produced his most famous works while employed by Rörstrand. Fresh ideas and methods intrigued Nylund and he was always eager to try new techniques at the manufacturer. He worked in the Art Deco style, creating warm-toned matte-glazed stoneware sculptures and ceramic tableware that are devoid of lavish ornamentation. Later, he crafted numerous figurines and highly stylized animal sculptures. Nylund’s work can be found at the Nationalmuseum in Stockholm, the Designmuseum Denmark and elsewhere.
Find vintage Gunnar Nylund serveware, sculptures and vessels on 1stDibs.
$2,160Sale Price|20% Off
"Grape Carriers, " Striking and Unique Art Deco Bowl w/ Wine Motif by Nylund
By Gunnar Nylund
Located in Philadelphia, PA
Depicting a Black male figure paired with a white female figure carrying clusters of grapes and ancient wine jars, this unique and striking Art Deco ...
Porcelain
Pure White And Gold, Crown Bowl Set By Gunnar Nylund For Rörstrand, Sweden
By Gunnar Nylund
Located in Rothley, Leicestershire
Fabulous set of three Crown bowls, designed by Gunnar Nylund for Rörstrand, Sweden Beautifully crafted fine porcelain of the purest white, each decorated with bright gilded bands Bel...
Porcelain
Gunnar Nylund for Rörstrand Porcelain Crown Window Bowl
By Gunnar Nylund
Located in Bishop's Stortford, Hertfordshire
A very stylish and finely made Swedish Rörstrand porcelain bowl the body decorated with a crown window design by Gunnar Nylund (1904-97) and dating from around 1940. The lightly made...
Porcelain
"Man, Woman and Horses, " Striking Art Deco Covered Urn by Nylund for Rorstrand
By Gunnar Nylund
Located in Philadelphia, PA
Gorgeously glazed in tones of rust, sable, ivory and chocolate, this unique lidded urn with foliated pinnacle and curving handles depicts a man with upraised arms and rearing horse o...
Porcelain
$2,360Sale Price|20% Off
"Perch & Angelfish, " Unique, Ambitious Art Deco Covered Urn by Nylund, Rorstrand
By Gunnar Nylund
Located in Philadelphia, PA
This ambitious, elongated urn with elaborate handles and a sunburst lid is beautifully decorated with perch on one side and angelfish on the other, all in tones of black, charcoal an...
Porcelain
Vanilla Colored Ceramic Bowl by Gunnar Nylund for Rörstrand, Sweden, 1930s
By Gunnar Nylund, Rörstrand
Located in Barcelona, ES
Small vanilla colored Swedish Grace ceramic bowl designed by Gunnar Nylund for Rörstrand, Sweden, 1930s.
Ceramic
"Nude with Dove, " Rare Art Deco Bowl by Nylund for Rorstrand
By Gunnar Nylund
Located in Philadelphia, PA
Before he became known for his organic forms and gorgeous glazes for the famous Rorstrand ceramic works in Sweden, Gunnar Nylund designed a line of very fine Art Deco pieces in what ...
Porcelain
$2,783 / set
H 9.45 in Dm 3.55 in
Collection of 3 Ceramic Vessels by Gunnar Nylund Rörstrand Sweden, 1950s
By Rörstrand, Gunnar Nylund
Located in Hillringsberg, SE
We have curated a group of stunning pieces of ceramics made in Sweden during the 1950s. These pieces have been gathered and put together by us, carefully sorted and now ready to be g...
Ceramic
$3,909 / set
H 7.09 in Dm 3.94 in
Group of White Ceramics by Nylund & Stålhane - Rörstrand - Midcentury Modern
By Rörstrand, Gunnar Nylund, Carl-Harry Stålhane
Located in Stockholm, SE
A group of six pieces of stoneware vases & one bowl with stunning white glazes designed by Gunnar Nylund and Carl-Harry Stålhane at Rörstrand in the 1950s. The vases are between 9 -...
Ceramic, Stoneware
Royal England Blue and White Porcelain Bowl by Wood & Son
By Wood & Son
Located in Miami, FL
Marked "TRILBY" ROYAL SEMI-PORCELAIN WOOD & SON ENGLAND Brand: Wood & Son Style: flow blue Item: Bowl Pattern: Trilby Material: Porcelain Design:...
Porcelain
$2,073
H 6.3 in W 10.63 in D 9.45 in
Midcentury Modern Large Ceramic Bowl Rörstrand AXK Gunnar Nylund, Sweden, 1950s
By Rörstrand, Gunnar Nylund
Located in Hillringsberg, SE
Wonderful largest model of the AXK bowl manufactured in the 1950s at Rörstrand, designed by Gunnar Nylund. The bowl has a wonderful glaze and it lifts the shape of the bowl to a won...
Ceramic
$639Sale Price|20% Off
H 8.67 in Dm 5.52 in
Art Deco Vase by Ilse Claesson, Rörstrand, Green and Black, 1930s
By Ilse Claussen, Rörstrand
Located in Stockholm, SE
A lovely vase designed by Ilse Claesson in the 1930s at Rörstrand, Sweden. It is 22 cm high and in very good condition except from some craquelure in the glaze because of the age.
Porcelain
Unavailable|$1,350
H 13 in Dm 8.27 in
Large and Very Rare Purple Urn Gunnar Nylund - Rörstrand - Scandinavian Modern
By Rörstrand, Gunnar Nylund
Located in Stockholm, SE
A really rare stoneware urn designed by Gunnar Nylund at Rörstrand. It is 33 cm (13.2") tall and in excellent condition except from a minor surface crack below. It is marked as the p...
Ceramic
$248
H 1.97 in W 2.96 in D 3.94 in
A Blue Vintage Ceramic Bowl - Gunnar Nylund - Rörstrand Sweden 1950s
By Rörstrand, Gunnar Nylund
Located in Stockholm, SE
A blue/gray bowl in ceramics, it is designed by Gunnar Nylund at Rörstrand, the bowl is 10 x 7.5 cm (4" x 3") in diameter. It´s in excellent condition except from a tiny mark on the ...
Ceramic, Stoneware
Daisy Makeig-Jones Wedgwood Blue Lustre Hummingbird Decorative Bowl
By Wedgwood, Daisy Makeig-Jones
Located in Fort Lauderdale, FL
A Wedgwood blue lustre bowl decorated with hummingbirds, designed by Daisy Makeig-Jones circa 1920. Daisy Makeig-Jones’s lustreware provided respite from the horrors of World War I...
Porcelain
A Brown Ceramic Bowl - Gunnar Nylund - Rörstrand Sweden 1950s
By Rörstrand, Carl-Harry Stålhane
Located in Stockholm, SE
A brown bowl in ceramics, it is designed by Carl-Harry Stålhane at Rörstrand, the bowl is 12 x 8.5 cm wide. It´s in excellent condition except from some craquelure and air-bubbles on...
Ceramic, Stoneware
$325
H 3.15 in W 4.93 in D 6.3 in
A Black & Green Vintage Ceramic Bowl - Gunnar Nylund Rörstrand Midcentury Modern
By Rörstrand, Gunnar Nylund
Located in Stockholm, SE
A black & green/brown bowl in ceramics, it is designed by Gunnar Nylund at Rörstrand, the bowl is 16 x 12.5 cm (6" x 5") in diameter. It´s in excellent condition except from some sma...
Ceramic, Stoneware
Paul Wunderlich for Rosenthal, Bokhara Porcelain Bowl
Located in København, Copenhagen
Paul Wunderlich for Rosenthal. Bokhara porcelain bowl. Colorful design, late 20th century. Measures: 20 x 10.5 cm. In excellent condi...
Porcelain
Henri Delcourt French Art Deco Porcelain Figural Bonbonnerie
By Henri Delcourt Boulogne
Located in Bishop's Stortford, Hertfordshire
A scarce and finely made French art deco porcelain lidded bonbonnerie formed as a flapper girl dating from around 1930. The bonbonnerie is of...
Porcelain
White Matte Porcelain Vase with Bubbles Cloud Rosenthal, Germany
By Rörstrand, Gunnar Nylund
Located in Stockholm, SE
A lovely white porcelain vase with a matte glaze designed at Rosenthal. The vase has a lovely shape, like a cloud or bubbles. It is 26 cm high and in excellent condition.
Porcelain
Dog Figurine in Porcelain by Gunnar Nylund
By Rörstrand, Gunnar Nylund
Located in Berlin, BE
Dog Figurine in porcelain by Gunnar Nylund Porcelain figurine from Rörstrand. Additional information: Material: Porcelain Artist: Gunnar Nylund Size: 20.0 H cm.
Porcelain
Mid-Century Modern White Porcelain Bowl by Gunnar Nylund
By Rörstrand, Gunnar Nylund
Located in Courbevoie, FR
Mid-Century Modern bowl by Gunnar Nylund for Rorstrand. CANDIA KRONSKAL collection.
Porcelain
Rare Set of Eight Porcelain Crown Bowls by Gunnar Nylund for Rörstrand
By Gunnar Nylund, Rörstrand
Located in Krefeld, DE
Gunnar Nylund was a Swedish ceramist. He was born 1904 in Paris where his parents studied. His mother was a Danish artist and his father a finish Swedish sculptor. 1907 they moved to...
Porcelain
Swedish porcelain vases by Berndt Friberg and Gunnar Nylund
By Gunnar Nylund, Berndt Friberg
Located in New York, NY
Beautiful grouping of vases in light blues and eggshell white by Swedens Gunnar Nylund and Berndt Friberg.
Porcelain, Stoneware