HJÖRDIS OLDFORS. “Coconut”, mug, model 5024, Upsala-Ekeby, 1954.

Glazed earthenware, with fluted decor. Model 5024. Height approx. 20,5 cm.

Background: Despite an artistic output of the highest level, Hjördis Oldfors (1920-2014) has remained remarkably anonymous. After three years at Släjdföreningen's school in Gothenburg, majoring in ceramics, she started her own with a wood-burning stove in her home.

In 1952, she succeeded Upsala-Ekeby's then leading designer Anna-Lisa Thomson who had recently passed away from cancer. At Upsala-Ekeby, Oldfors created series that are highlights of Swedish ceramics in the 1950s, including Kokos, Penguin, Tropicana, Atoll and Nubia. She left the pottery abruptly when her father fell ill and she took over the running of the family business. In a later stage of life, she settled in Tenerife, and devoted herself to designing beachwear and women's shoes. Hjördis Oldfors's work deserves to reach a far larger audience than the narrow circle of connoisseurs who already understood her greatness.