Gunnar Nylund was a celebrated Swedish ceramicist and designer, born to the Danish artist Fernanda Jacobsen-Nylund and the Finnish-Swedish sculptor Felix Nylund. Given his artistic heritage, it was perhaps inevitable that Gunnar would follow a creative career.
Sculpture, Lion, crafted by Gunnar Nylund at Rörstrand.
Born in Paris in 1904, the Nylund family relocated to Copenhagen in 1907. They moved again to Helsinki, where they resided for several years. However, as the Finnish Civil War loomed, they returned to Copenhagen.
In Copenhagen, Gunnar Nylund was educated at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts and subsequently joined Bing & Gröndahl during the 1920s. He later established the renowned ceramic workshop Saxbo Stentöj with Nathalie Krebs, seeking greater artistic liberty.
Gunnar Nylund spent a significant portion of his professional life at Rörstrand in Lidköping, Sweden, where he was appointed artistic director in 1931. Here, he crafted his famed animal figurines, as well as an array of crockery, vases, and bowls.
The time at Rörstrand
Although Gunnar Nylund was already an acclaimed ceramicist upon his arrival at Rörstrand, it was here that he produced some of his most seminal works. From the early 1930s to the mid-1950s, he created his iconic animal figurines in stoneware. His frequent visits to Copenhagen's zoo during his earlier years helped him design the extensive range of animal figures, from camels and horse heads to lions, parrots, and penguins. These figures ranged from realistic to more cubist styles, available in various colours with glazes from earthy to vibrant.
The rugged and contrasting Hedgehog vase from the Chamott collection, created in 1936, became a commercial triumph for Rörstrand and remains popular among Scandinavian collectors today.
The popular Hedgehog vase, created by Gunnar Nylund in 1936.
Works in the public domain
Beyond ceramics, Gunnar Nylund also designed glassware for Strömbergshyttan and produced numerous public works, with the Scanisaurus fountain in Bromölla, Sweden, being one of his most famous.
"Shark Tooth" vases by Gunnar Nylund.
Gunnar Nylund was briefly associated with Jie Gantofta, like his daughter Anita Nylund. However, due to Jie's insolvency, the pieces he designed were never produced.
Today, Gunnar Nylund is a revered name in the field of Scandinavian ceramics and is considered one of the region's foremost ceramicists. His works are highly prized by collectors both in Sweden and internationally.