Noomi Backhausen (1938-2011) worked at Söholm Keramik located in Rønne on the island of Bornholm, Denmark from 1966 until it closed down in 1990. While there, she created designs that decorated pieces by Paul Brandborg. In 1996, she founded her own pottery, also in Rønne.
Examples of her work – including wall plaques, vases, teapots, wall sconces and lamp bases – are readily available from Etsy, eBay, 1stDibs and Pamono.
Jacob Jensen (1926-2015) was a Danish industrial designer (the first in the country to have graduated in the subject).
He had a long-term relationship designing audio equipment for Bang & Olufsen for over a quarter of a century. Included in his output of almost 250 different designs is the record player Beogram 4000, portable radio Beolit 400, sound systems BeoMaster 500 and BeoMaster 1900 and the company’s first headphones, the U70.
He designed a range of products for other companies; from furniture to watches, telephones to kettles. He even created the popular Margrethe melamine bowls for Rosti (named after Queen Margrethe of Denmark). Our favourites though, are his little wooden figures – Vikings, Eskimos and… aliens! They can retail for hundreds of pounds!
In my view, constructing a fountain pen, writing a poem, producing a play or designing a locomotive, all demand the same components, the same ingredients: perspective, creativity, new ideas, understanding and first and foremost, the ability to rework, almost infinitely, over and over. That ‘over and over’ is for me the cruellest torture.
The only way I can work is to make 30-40 models before I find the right one. The question is, when do you find the right one? My method is, when I have reached a point where I think, ‘O.K., that’s it, there it is’, I put the model on a table in the living room, illuminate it, and otherwise spend the evening as usual, and go to bed. The next morning I go in and look at it, knowing with 100 percent certainty that I have 6-7 seconds to see and decide whether it’s right or wrong. If I look at it longer, I automatically compensate. ‘Oh, it’s not too high,’ and, ‘It’s not so bad.’ There are only those 6-7 seconds; then I make some notes as to what’s wrong. Finished. After breakfast, I make the changes. That’s the only way I know. Jacob Jensen
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Axel Salto (1889-1961) was a Danish fine artist and ceramicist; stoneware being his material of choice. His iconic work is organic and earthy in form and palette and is incredibly tactile. In researching his pottery, I fell in love with his lino-cuts and screen-prints as well.
He was a member of the Paris-based, ‘The 4’, a group of modernist Danish artists that consisted of Salto, Karl Larsen, Svend Johansen and Vilhelm Lundstrøm.
His rarer pots can break sales records at auction; a piece realising £373,250 at Phillips, London in 2012. However, many of his limited-edition prints are far more affordable, selling for as little as £25.00.
There’s a beautifully illustrated monograph entitled, ‘Axel Salto – Master of Stoneware‘ edited by Susanne Bruhn and Pia Wirnfeldt. I could only find it for sale at CLAY Museum of Ceramic Art Denmark where the retrospective was originally held.
An equally stunning book (in Danish) covering his 2-dimensional work entitled På papir (On paper), has been written by Lars Dybdahl and is available from Strandberg Publishing.
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It was my birthday a couple of weeks ago and, as has become customary, Justin bought me a piece of vintage Scandi jewellery. This time, something by Danish designer, Niels Erik From (1908-1980). The item he bought me can be seen in the top pair of images above; a beautiful silver pendant with a cabochon rhodochrosite stone.
Beginning in 1931, From sold his work via his own retail premises. It was only in 1944 in the southern Danish town of Nakskov that he founded his smithy. He began his career producing designs in the Skønvirke style – a Danish movement similar to Art Nouveau. It’s his later work in the clean, modernist, geometric style which I far prefer. Ironically, these examples were created by other designers under From’s name.
If you like his designs, there are always examples for sale on Etsy, eBay and specialist vintage Scandinavian jewellery dealers. I think Justin bought this latest gift from Scandinavian Silver.
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1st Dibs | Auktionsverket | Cream and Chrome | Dorotheum | John Kelly | Modernity
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