Mid2Mod: Sigurd Persson

Friday, January 2, 2015

Sigurd Persson

Sigurd Persson (1914-2003) was a Swedish artist and industrial designer. He was the son of a silversmith and apprenticed with his father. He took his journeyman's exam in 1938, and, since his mother was German and he spoke that language fluently, he planned to continue his studies at the Academy of Fine Arts in Munich. However, World War II forced him to change his plans. He instead studied at the Higher School of Art and Design in Stockholm. In 1942 he opened his own studio. He also worked from 1943 to 1945 at the studio Borgila, where he designed jewelry and taught young silversmiths.

In 1949 he began a 40-year collaboration with the firm Silver and Steel (S & S), for whom he had a number of successful designs. He had his first exhibition in 1950, and throughout that decade he became famous for his simple and refined forms. During that decade, he primarily designed cutlery, coffee pots and church silver.

In the 1960s, he expanded his work to include industrial design, creating tubular steel chairs for Ary, as well as household items such as dish brushes for Crown. He also designed a new badge for Swedish Armed Forces uniforms. In 1967 he was hired by Kosta to design glass objects.

Persson continued to work until his death, designing objects in silver, stainless steel, cast iron, enamel, glass, and plastic. His work is held by museums worldwide, including the National Museum and the Nordic Museum in Stockholm, Röhsska Museum in Gothenburg, Helsingborg Museum, Det Danske Kunstindistrimuseum in Copenhagen, the Danish Museum in Oslo, the Victoria & Albert Museum in London, the Musée des Arts Décoratife in Paris and the Museum of Modern Art in New York.

He received the Swedish Society of Crafts and Gregor Paulsson statuette in 1958, was awarded the St. Egeliusmedaljen of Swedish Jewellers and Goldsmiths' Association in 1969 and Prince Eugen Medal for outstanding artistic achievement in 1970. He was also awarded the Medal Helsingborg in 1983.

From sigurdpersson.se, scandinaviandesign.com, and Sigurd Persson: en mästare i form by Dag Widman