GRETA RUNEBORG. Bookcase, model 140, Upsala-Ekeby, 1937.

Glazed earthenware. Height 18 cm.

Background: Greta Runeborg (1911-1989) was at Upsala-Ekeby during the period when the factory, under the artistic direction of Sven Erik Skawonius, was preparing for its participation in the 1939 New York World's Fair. Several of her vases, dishes and bowls, designed precisely to connect with the new Swedish style Swedish Modern launched there, were also exhibited in New York. For example, her famous floor vase from 1938-39, which was made with many different decors and glazes right into the 50s, long after Greta Runeborg left Upsala-Ekeby in 1941. With the rise of Swedish Modern in recent years, Greta Runeborg's organic, clean forms have also been met with international interest.