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Scandinavian design is a design movement characterized by simplicity,
minimalism In visual arts, music and other media, minimalism is an art movement that began in post–World War II in Western art, most strongly with American visual arts in the 1960s and early 1970s. Prominent artists associated with minimalism include Don ...
and functionality that emerged in the early 20th century, and subsequently flourished in the 1950s throughout the five
Nordic countries The Nordic countries (also known as the Nordics or ''Norden''; literal translation, lit. 'the North') are a geographical and cultural region in Northern Europe and the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic. It includes the sovereign states of Denmar ...
: Denmark, Finland, Norway,
Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...
, and Iceland. Scandinavian designers are known especially for household goods including furniture, textiles, ceramics, lamps, and glass, but Scandinavian design has been extended to industrial design such as of consumer electronics, mobile phones, and cars.


Overview

In 1914, the Danish ''Selskabet for Dekorativ Kunst'' (Company for Decorative Arts) launched its ' (literally "Graceful Work") magazine. Its title became the name of a new Danish style of arts and crafts, both in objects and in architecture, to rival
Art Nouveau Art Nouveau (; ) is an international style of art, architecture, and applied art, especially the decorative arts. The style is known by different names in different languages: in German, in Italian, in Catalan, and also known as the Modern ...
and Jugendstil. From the 1930s, designers such as
Alvar Aalto Hugo Alvar Henrik Aalto (; 3 February 1898 – 11 May 1976) was a Finnish architect and designer. His work includes architecture, furniture, textiles and glassware, as well as sculptures and paintings. He never regarded himself as an artist, see ...
(architecture, furniture, textiles), Arne Jacobsen (chairs),
Borge Mogensen Borge may refer to: Places Antarctica *Borge Bay, small bay on the east side of Signy Island, in the South Orkney Islands *Borge Point, headland forming the east side of Mikkelsen Harbor, Trinity Island, in the Palmer Archipelago Norway *Borge, ...
(furniture),
Hans J. Wegner Hans Jørgensen Wegner (April 2, 1914 - January 26, 2007) was a Danish furniture designer. His work, along with a concerted effort from several of his manufacturers, contributed to the international popularity of mid-century Danish design. His sty ...
(chairs), Verner Panton (plastic chairs),
Poul Henningsen Poul Henningsen (9 September 1894 – 31 January 1967) was a Danish author, critic, architect, and designer. In Denmark, where he often is referred to simply as PH, he was one of the leading figures of the cultural life of Denmark between the Worl ...
(lamps), and Maija Isola (printed textiles) helped to create a "golden age of Scandinavian design". Scandinavian textile artists became known for their pile rugs early in the 20th century, while brightly-coloured Scandinavian textiles became popular across the western world after the Second World War. The Lunning Prize, awarded to outstanding Scandinavian designers between 1951 and 1970, was instrumental in making Scandinavian design a recognized commodity, and in defining its profile. In 1954, the
Brooklyn Museum The Brooklyn Museum is an art museum located in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. At , the museum is New York City's second largest and contains an art collection with around 1.5 million objects. Located near the Prospect Heights, Crown H ...
held its "Design in Scandinavia" exhibition, and a fashion for "Scandinavian Modern" furniture began in America. Scandinavian design is by no means limited to furniture and household goods. It has been applied to industrial design, such as of consumer electronics, mobile phones, and cars. The concept of Scandinavian design has been the subject of scholarly debate, exhibitions and marketing agendas since the 1950s. Many emphasize the democratic design ideals that were a central theme of the movement and are reflected in the rhetoric surrounding contemporary Scandinavian and international design. Others, however, have analyzed the reception of Scandinavian design abroad, seeing in it a form of myth-making and racial politics.


In the Nordic nations


In Denmark

Danish Design is a style of functionalistic design and architecture that was developed in mid-20th century. Influenced by the German Bauhaus school, many Danish designers used the new industrial technologies, combined with ideas of simplicity and functionalism to design buildings, furniture and household objects, many of which have become iconic and are still in use and production, such as Arne Jacobsen's 1958 Egg chair and
Poul Henningsen Poul Henningsen (9 September 1894 – 31 January 1967) was a Danish author, critic, architect, and designer. In Denmark, where he often is referred to simply as PH, he was one of the leading figures of the cultural life of Denmark between the Worl ...
's 1926
PH-lamp The PH-lamp is a term for light fixtures designed by Danish designer and writer Poul Henningsen. The term is sometimes used to refer to any lamp designed by Henningsen or specially Henningsen's three-shade lamp series. The lamps are produced by Lou ...
s. After the Second World War, conditions in Denmark were ideally suited to success in design. The emphasis was on furniture but architecture, silver, ceramics, glass and textiles also benefitted from the trend. Denmark's
late industrialisation Alice Amsden, building on the insights of Gerschenkron, identifies Late Industrialization as a particular form of industrialization the study of which is useful for those interested in study of the prospects for material progress in developing co ...
combined with a tradition of high-quality craftsmanship formed the basis of gradual progress towards industrial production.


In Finland

Finnish design spans clothing, engineering design, furniture, glass, lighting, textiles, and household products. The "Design from Finland" mark was created in 2011. Finland's
Design Museum The Design Museum in Kensington, London exhibits product, industrial, graphic, fashion, and architectural design. In 2018, the museum won the European Museum of the Year Award. The museum operates as a registered charity, and all funds generat ...
(formerly called the Museum of Art and Design) has a collection founded in 1873, while Helsinki's University of Art and Design, established in 1871, now forms part of Aalto University. Prominent Finnish designers include
Alvar Aalto Hugo Alvar Henrik Aalto (; 3 February 1898 – 11 May 1976) was a Finnish architect and designer. His work includes architecture, furniture, textiles and glassware, as well as sculptures and paintings. He never regarded himself as an artist, see ...
(vases, furniture),
Aino Aalto Aino Maria Marsio-Aalto (born Aino Maria Mandelin; 25 January 1894 – 13 January 1949) was a Finnish architect and a pioneer of Scandinavian design. She is known as a co-founder of the design company Artek and as a collaborator on its most well ...
(glassware), Kaj Franck (glass, tableware), (fabric prints),
Simo Heikkilä Simo Heikkilä (born May 2, 1943) is a Finnish designer and interior architect. He is known as a designer, teacher and collaborator with a concern for dying craft skills. Heikkilä established his own studio in 1971. He began his career designing ...
(furniture),
Kristina Isola Maija Sofia Isola (15 March 1927 – 3 March 2001) was a Finnish designer of printed textiles, and the creator of over 500 patterns, including ''Unikko'' (" Poppy"). The bold, colourful prints she created as the head designer of Marimekko made ...
(textiles), Maija Isola (
Marimekko Marimekko Oyj is a Finnish textiles, clothing, and home furnishings company founded by Viljo and Armi Ratia in Helsinki in 1951. Marimekko made important contributions to fashion in the 1960s. It is particularly noted for its brightly colored pri ...
prints),
Harri Koskinen Harri Koskinen is a Finnish designer, born 1970 in Karstula, Finland. He has studied at the Institute of Art and Design in Helsinki. Career Koskinen is probably best known for his Block Lamp, a lightbulb held inside two shaped pieces of clear gl ...
(glass, homeware), (clothing, accessories),
Timo Sarpaneva Timo Tapani Sarpaneva (31 October 1926 – 6 October 2006) was an influential Finnish designer, sculptor, and educator best known in the art world for innovative work in glass, which often merged attributes of display art objects with utilitaria ...
(glass, homeware), Oiva Toikka (glass art), Tapio Wirkkala (glass art, glassware), Eero Aarnio (plastic furniture), (screenprints), (glass), (textiles, homeware), and (tableware, homeware). Information from pages on each artist on that website.


In Iceland

Design in Iceland is a relatively young tradition, starting in the 1950s but now growing rapidly. The country's limited options for manufacturing and its constrained choice of materials have both forced designers to be innovative, though wool remains a staple material, whether felted or knitted. Iceland's Museum of Design and Applied Art, aiming to record Icelandic design from 1900 onwards, opened in 1998. The Iceland Academy of the Arts was also founded in 1998, soon followed by its Faculty of Architecture and Design, which has promoted a distinctively Icelandic character in the nation's design.


In Norway

Norwegian design has a strong minimalist aesthetic. Designed items include lamps and furniture. Qualities emphasised include durability, beauty, functionality, simplicity, and natural forms. The Norwegian Centre for Design and Architecture, "DogA", is housed in a former transformer station in Oslo. Norway holds an annual design exhibition called "100% Norway" at the London Design Fair. Prominent Norwegian furniture designers include Hans Brattrud,
Sven Ivar Dysthe Sven Ivar Dysthe (25 August 1931 – 1 March 2020) was a Norwegian furniture designer born in Oslo, Norway. Among his designs is the armchair ''1001'' from 1960, and the chair ''Laminette'' from 1964. He was awarded Norsk Form's Jakob Award in ...
,
Olav Eldøy Olav Eldøy (born 1 November 1948) is a Norwegian furniture designer. Eldøy was born in 1948 on Stord, Norway. He was educated the National College of Art & Design in Bergen 1973. Some of his award winning products are: the chair Peel, the cha ...
,
Olav Haug Olav Haug (20 July 1916 – 3 November 1985) was a Norwegian furniture designer and master craftsman whose furniture designs demonstrated a deep understanding of woodwork and quality craftsmanship. His designs won him awards and production order ...
,
Fredrik A. Kayser Fredrik A. Kayser (15 April 1924 – 19 August 1968) was a Norwegian furniture designer. He was born in Bergen, and educated at the Norwegian National Academy of Craft and Art Industry. He was especially known for his designed chair A chair ...
, and Ingmar Relling.


In Sweden

Swedish design is considered minimalist, with an emphasis on functionality and simple clean lines. This has applied especially to furniture. Sweden is known for traditional crafts including glass and Sami handicrafts. Swedish design was pioneered by (graphics), Bruno Mathsson (furniture),
Märta Måås-Fjetterström Märta Livia Vilhelmina Måås-Fjetterström (21 June 1873 – 13 April 1941) was a leading Swedish textile artist in the early 20th-century. She is remembered in particular for the weaving studio she opened in Båstad in 1919 and for the decorati ...
and
Astrid Sampe Astrid Sampe (27 May 1909–1 January 2002) was a Swedish textile designer who for a large part of her professional life was affiliated with the textile department at Nordiska Kompaniet but also worked for several other textile producers. Sampe ...
(textiles), and Sixten Sason (industrial). Organisations that promote design in Sweden are , the Swedish Society of Crafts and Design, founded in 1845; the , known as SVID; the Swedish Arts Council; and the Swedish Centre for Architecture and Design (known as ArkDes) on the island of Skeppsholmen in Stockholm, beside the
modern art museum Museums of modern art listed alphabetically by country. Argentina * Latin American Art Museum of Buenos Aires (MALBA) * Buenos Aires Museum of Modern Art (MAMBA) Australia *Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney 140 George Street, The Rocks, Sydney ...
.


References


Sources

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Further reading

* * * * * * * * * * * {{cite book , last=Zahle , first=Erik , title=A Treasury of Scandinavian Design , publisher=Golden Press , year=1961 , ref=none


External links


Finnish Design

Iceland Design Centre

Scandinavian Design
D01 Scandinavia Danish design Finnish design Norwegian design Swedish design Art movements History of furniture Modernism Modernist architecture Scandinavian architecture