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
$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
"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
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
$3,893 / set
H 7.09 in Dm 3.94 in
Group of White Ceramics by Nylund & Stålhane - Rörstrand - Midcentury Modern
By Gunnar Nylund, Carl-Harry Stålhane, Rörstrand
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
$637Sale 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
$2,064
H 6.3 in W 10.63 in D 9.45 in
Midcentury Modern Large Ceramic Bowl Rörstrand AXK Gunnar Nylund, Sweden, 1950s
By Gunnar Nylund, Rörstrand
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
$324
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
$247
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
Green and Black Art Deco Vase in Porcelain by Ilse Claesson, Rörstrand
By Ilse Claussen, Rörstrand
Located in Stockholm, SE
Art Deco at its best! A lovely green and black vase designed by Ilse Claesson in the 1930s at Rörstrand, Sweden. It is 11 cm high and in very good...
Porcelain
$2,781 / 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
$1,091
H 2.96 in W 6.3 in D 4.73 in
Swedish Mid Century Ceramic "ARO" Bowl by Gunnar Nylund for Rörstrand, 1950s
By Gunnar Nylund
Located in Stockholm, SE
Rare Swedish mid century ceramic / stoneware "ARO" bowl in blue brown glaze by Gunnar Nylund for Rörstrand Sweden, 1950s. In good original condition and signed by the artist. Dimen...
Ceramic
Midcentury Stoneware Vase by Gunnar Nylund for Rörstrand, Sweden, 1940s
By Rörstrand, Gunnar Nylund
Located in Östermalm, Stockholms län
Beautiful stoneware vase by Gunnar Nylund, in an elegant, sleek form. Glazed white with a subtle “Mimosa” pattern. Gunnar Nylund was one of the most influential ceramicists and desi...
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
Swedish Ceramic Vase by Gunnar Nylund for Rörstrand, 1940s
By Rörstrand, Gunnar Nylund
Located in Stockholm, Stockholms län
Beautiful ceramic vase designed by Gunnar Nylund, manufactured by Rörstrand in Sweden during the 1940s. Made from stoneware with hare fur glaze in sand to red ochre color. Gunnar Ny...
Stoneware
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 Rörstrand, Gunnar Nylund
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 Berndt Friberg, Gunnar Nylund
Located in New York, NY
Beautiful grouping of vases in light blues and eggshell white by Swedens Gunnar Nylund and Berndt Friberg.
Porcelain, Stoneware