Bookends - Cardboard

This bilingual book highlights the work of one of Finland's best-known glass and ceramic designers, Kaj Franck (1911–1989), on the occasion of his hundredth birthday.

Condition: good condition, small spots; please see the photos for details.

The understated designs and clean geometric forms of Kaj Franck's (1911-1989) tableware fit a wide range of cultures. Franck's guiding principle was to create anonymous, self-evident objects for everyday use. In the 1940s and 1950s, Franck modernized the tableware to align with postwar societal changes; he wanted to move away from large dinnerware sets that filled small kitchen cupboards. His designs, which emphasized environmentally friendly principles and equality, were ahead of their time with their ideology of sustainable development. This book sketches Franck's life and career, which took place in Finland's oldest glass factory in the municipality of Nuutajärvi, where he worked from the early 1950s until his death. Interviews with local residents and Franck's colleagues paint a picture of him as a colorful personality. Numerous illustrations give a cross-section of Franck's design work. In addition to his mass productions there are also photos of Franck's unique artistic creations.

Franck was the grandson of Johan Jacob Ahrenberg (1847-1914), an architect and writer, who made the first designs for products of the Arabia porcelain factories. He followed in his grandfather's footsteps by working at Arabia from 1946 (now part of Fiskars), and in 1948 he became artistic director, succeeding Kurt Ekholm. From 1951 to 1976 he held that position at the Nuutajärvi glass factory, but he also continued to design for Arabia (including the now-classic Kilta dinnerware), Iittala, and other companies. Through his influence, these factories in the 1960s shifted to the simple and clean forms that have since come to be regarded as characteristic of Finnish design. He was also artistic director of the Academy of Applied Arts (the current Aalto University School of Arts, Design and Architecture) since 1945.[8] In 1964 he was awarded the Prince Eugen Medal.

The Design Forum Finland awards annually a Kaj Franck Design Prize to a designer, or a team of designers, who work in the spirit of Kaj Franck.