Figgjo AS is a Norwegian ceramics manufacturing company based in

Figgjo Figgjo is a borough of the Sandnes (town), city of Sandnes in the west part of the large municipality of Sandnes in Rogaland county, Norway. The borough is located in the southern part of the city. It has a population (2016) of 2,213. The borou ...

in the municipality of

Sandnes Sandnes () is a city and municipality in Rogaland, Norway. It lies immediately south of Stavanger, the 4th largest municipality in Norway, and together the Stavanger/Sandnes area is the third-largest urban area in Norway. The urban city of Sand ...

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of the Kingdom of ...

History

Figgjo was founded by Harald Lima and Sigurd Figved in 1941 as a small-scale pottery workshop. In 1946, designer and ceramist Ragnar Grimsrud (1902-1988) became co-owner and general manager of Figgjo. Grimsrud's design philosophy for the company was "'One must offer 'something for everyone,'" meaning that Figgjo had to offer products for both

Scandinavian design Scandinavian design is a design movement characterized by simplicity, minimalism and functionality that emerged in the early 20th century, and subsequently flourished in the 1950s throughout the five Nordic countries: Denmark, Finland, Norway, Sw ...

enthusiasts and everyday consumers in order to be successful. Following

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, Figgjo expanded into industrial manufacture of earthenware, building a new factory plant that was completed in 1947. The company took its current form in 1968 following the merger of Stavangerflint AS with Figgjo Fajanse AS. In the 1950s, new decoration techniques for silkscreen printing of patterns and applying colored

slip Slip or The Slip may refer to: * Slip (clothing), an underdress or underskirt Music * The Slip (band), a rock band * ''Slip'' (album), a 1993 album by the band Quicksand * ''The Slip'' (album) (2008), a.k.a. Halo 27, the seventh studio al ...

to products made it easier to produce a large portfolio of popular and distinctive designs at scale. However, by the 1960s, the onset of international free trade in

forced Figgjo to change their operational strategy to stay competitive with imports. They scaled back their product offerings to a limited range of new models, adaptable to feature any number of decorations and patterns in different styles, in order to cater to a wide range of markets. From 1956 to 1964, Figgjo collaborated with noted Norwegian freelance designer Hermann Bongard, who produced a number of successful tableware products for the company. Other notable designers who worked for Figgjo include Turi Gramstad Oliver, Inger Waage, and Kåre Berven Fjeldsaa. Today, the company has a factory, museum and factory outlet at Figgjo. It specializes in vitrified china for the domestic and professional catering markets. The underglaze backstamps FF, Figgjo Fajanse and Figgjo Flint are found on the company's products. Figgjo is the sole remaining domestic ceramic tableware manufacturer in Norway. In addition, Figgjo tableware from the 1960s and 1970s continues to be highly collectible alongside its more recent offerings, with examples featured in the

decorative arts ] The decorative arts are arts or crafts whose aim is the design and manufacture of objects that are both beautiful and functional. This includes most of the objects for the interiors of buildings, as well as interior design, but typically excl ...

collections of the :no:Jærmuseet, Jærmuseet,

National Gallery of Victoria The National Gallery of Victoria, popularly known as the NGV, is an art museum in Melbourne, Victoria (state), Victoria, Australia. Founded in 1861, it is Australia's oldest and list of most visited art museums in the world, most visited art mu ...

and the

Indianapolis Museum of Art The Indianapolis Museum of Art (IMA) is an encyclopedic art museum located at Newfields, a campus that also houses Lilly House, The Virginia B. Fairbanks Art & Nature Park, the Garden at Newfields and more. It is located at the corner of No ...

Examples of Figgjo ceramics

File:Figgjo sissel line of table service.jpg, Figgjo "Sissel" line of tableware designed by Ragnar Grimsud File:Daisy porcelain from Figgjo Flint.jpg, Figgjo "Daisy" tableware designed by Turi Gramstad Oliver File:Astrid Figgjo Flint Egg Holder.jpg, A photograph of two Figgjo egg holders in the Astrid pattern. File:Figgjo, gretekoppar.jpg, Figgjo "Sissel" line of tableware designed by Ragnar Grimsrud File:Figgjo Lotte Cup and Saucer.jpg, Figgjo "Lotte" design cup and saucer.

References

External links

Figgjo AS official website
Ceramics manufacturers of Norway Norwegian brands Manufacturing companies of Norway {{ceramics-stub