HARALD NOTINI. A table lamp, Böhlmarks, model “15490”, mid 20th century.

Brass lamp base. Height: 39 cm.

Harald Elof Notini (1879—1959) was one of the most influential figures in Swedish design in the first half of the 20th century. A sculptor by foundation and educated at the Higher School of Art in Stockholm, with further studies in Germany and France, he combined artistic flair with technological innovation and functionalist vision. Notini worked for most of his life as artistic director of Arvid Böhlmark's Lampfabrik and its glass production at Pukeberg Glassworks, two institutions where he left deep imprints.

His work on lighting design was particularly pioneering. He pushed the Böhlmarks from traditional style limitations towards the forefront of modernism. During the 1920s his expression was characterized by Swedish Grace, elegant and ornamental but austere, which transitioned into pure functionalism in the 1930s and finally into the warm, material-rich aesthetic that came to be known as Swedish Modern in the 1940s and 50s. Brass, glass, wood and leather interplayed in his luminaries in a way that still arouses admiration.

Notini wasn't just a designer — he was an architect of a new way of seeing light, space and aesthetics. With several patents in lighting technology, he fused the engineer's sense of function with the artist's gaze for beauty. His work has been exhibited internationally and is represented in collections such as the Nationalmuseum in Stockholm and MoMA in New York.

Despite opportunities for other assignments, he remained faithful to his place of work at Böhlmarks until the end of his life; a life marked by form, light and an unwavering belief that the practical and the beautiful can be one and the same.