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Kaj Franck

Finnish, 1911-1989

Kaj Gabriel Franck was a leading figure in 20th-century Finnish design, specializing in ceramics and glass. As the creative director of Arabia Ceramics, now part of Iittala, he, along with fellow Finns Timo Sarpaneva and Tapio Wirkkala, helped popularize the bright, warm and curvy aesthetic of Scandinavian modernism. Design Forum Finland’s Kaj Franck Design Prize, established in 1992 and awarded each year around his birthday, is among the country’s most prestigious honors for designers.

Franck was born in 1911 in the city of Vyborg, which now belongs to Russia, but was then part of the Grand Duchy of Finland. He studied furniture design at the Central School of Industrial Design in Helsinki, and after graduating in 1932, worked as a catalogue illustrator for the Riihimäki glassworks, exploring interior and textile design on the side. 

Having served in the Finnish armed forces during World War II, Franck joined Arabia in 1945 as their head of design. He remained with the company for many years, steering its line of tableware in a dynamic new direction. Franck professed an aversion to superfluous ornament. His ceramic designs were nevertheless complex and eye-catching, animated with playful, geometric forms. One of his most famous creations for Arabia was the Origami dish from the early 1960s, a glossy all-white serving piece resembling a subtly folded piece of paper with four shallow sections for holding food.

Although his Arabia ceramics became household staples for consumers in Scandinavia and beyond, Franck is better known among collectors for his glass designs, particularly those he created for Iittala starting in the late 1940s. In a 1947 Iittala-sponsored glass competition, Franck shared the top prize with Tapio Wirkkala. In 1950, he designed the company’s iconic Kartio series of pressed-glass pitchers and glasses, which came in different colors that consumers could “mix and match” rather than having to buy a homogeneous set. In 1977, Franck redesigned the series, renamed Teemaa.

Franck’s designs for Iittala embodied the Finnish concept of pelkistetty, which literally means “reduced” and in the design world refers to the pared-down, minimal qualities of modernism. This principle, evidenced in objects like his elegant, unfussy sets of jewel-toned drinking glasses from the 1960s, informed Franck’s view of the manufacturing process as well. Critical of mass production and consumerism, he was one of the country’s first professionals in his field to advocate recycling. He became known as the “conscience of Finnish design,” a role he embraced as a professor and later artistic director at the University of Art and Design in Helsinki. 

In honor of Franck’s 100th birthday, in 2011, Iittala reissued Kartio glasses, Teema tableware and Purnukka jars, among other of his designs that retain their contemporary feel decades after their creation.

Find vintage Kaj Franck glass, vases and other furniture and decor on 1stDibs.

Green Glass Vase "Sargasso" by Kaj Franck - Nuutajärvi Notsjö Finland - 1960's
By Nuutajärvi Notsjõ, Kaj Franck
Located in Turku, FI
Nuutajärvi Glassworks' bowl with handle is part of the Sargasso glass collection designed by Kaj Franck in 1966. The glass bowl is made of brown bubble glass, also known as blister g...
Category

1960s Finnish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Kaj Franck

Materials

Blown Glass

1957 Finnish Art Glass Vase by Kaj Franck
By Kaj Franck
Located in Chapel Hill, NC
1957 Finnish blue grey "Usva" art glass vase by Kaj Franck. Made for Nuutajärvi Notsjö, Urjala. Franck was art director from 1950-1976. 6.5" h., 2.5" x 2.5" top, 1 5/8" x 1 5/8" base.
Category

1950s Finnish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Kaj Franck

Materials

Art Glass

Arabia Teema Casserole
By Arabia, Kaj Franck
Located in MAASTRICHT, LI
Product Description This casserole was designed by Kaj Franck for Arabia in 1951. From 1953 onwards the item has been produced under the series name "Kilta", production stopped in 19...
Category

20th Century Finnish Kaj Franck

Materials

Earthenware

  • Arabia Teema Casserole
  • Arabia Teema Casserole
  • Arabia Teema Casserole
  • Arabia Teema Casserole
H 5.32 in Dm 7.88 in
Mid Century Modern Kaj Franck, Artglass Object, "Lancet" Blue, Handblown, 1957
By Kaj Franck, Nuutajärvi Notsjõ
Located in EL Waalre, NL
Kaj Franck, A blue and clear artglass object "Lancet", Model KF219, Nuutajärvi-Notsjö, Finland 1957 A free blown and cut and polished blue and clear cased artglass object “Lansetti”...
Category

1950s Finnish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Kaj Franck

Materials

Glass, Art Glass, Blown Glass, Cut Glass

Finland Blue Tall Drink Tumbler Glasses Set of Four by Kaj Franck Iittala 1960s
By Kaj Franck, Iittala
Located in National City, CA
Modern Set of four tall narrow tumbler glasses in blue made in Finland by Iittala. Designer Kaj Franck Scandinavian Art Glass One glass retains label. Preowned and in good condition....
Category

1960s Finnish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Kaj Franck

Materials

Glass

Mid Century Modern Kaj Franck, Artglass Object, "Lancet" Blue, Handblown, 1963
By Kaj Franck, Nuutajärvi Notsjõ
Located in EL Waalre, NL
Kaj Franck, A blue and clear artglass object "Lancet", Model KF218, Nuutajärvi-Notsjö, Finland 1963 A free blown and cut and polished blue and clear cased artglass object “Lansetti”...
Category

1960s Finnish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Kaj Franck

Materials

Glass, Art Glass, Blown Glass, Cut Glass

Kaj Franck - KF486 - Goblet - Nuutajärvi
By Nuutajärvi Notsjõ, Kaj Franck
Located in MAASTRICHT, LI
Product Description:  This goblet by Kaj Franck for Nuutajärvi is made by combining four different pieces of glass. There are various designs of thes goblets each with different colo...
Category

Late 20th Century Finnish Kaj Franck

Materials

Glass, Blown Glass

Large Kaj Franck Gray Midcentury Glass Vase Nuutajarvi Nottsjo Finland
By Kaj Franck
Located in St.Petersburg, FL
A large and interestingly shaped glass vase by Kaj Franck for Nuutajarvi Notsjo, Finland, ca' 1950's. Smoke glass with original label intact, very good condition.
Category

1950s Finnish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Kaj Franck

Materials

Art Glass

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Kaj Franck furniture for sale on 1stDibs.

Kaj Franck furniture are available for sale on 1stDibs. These distinctive items are frequently made of glass and are designed with extraordinary care. There are many options to choose from in our collection of Kaj Franck furniture, although gray editions of this piece are particularly popular. Many of the original furniture by Kaj Franck were created in the Scandinavian Modern style in finland during the 20th century. If you’re looking for additional options, many customers also consider furniture by Nuutajärvi Notsjõ, Oiva Toikka, and Arabia. Prices for Kaj Franck furniture can differ depending upon size, time period and other attributes — on 1stDibs, these items begin at £52 and can go as high as £5,316, while a piece like these, on average, fetch £641.

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