Gunnar Nylund vase

Gunnar Nylund vase in stoneware for Rörstrand.

Signed “GN AXZ”.
Height approx. 19,5 cm.

Gunnar Nylund
Born in Paris in 1904, the Nylund family relocated to Copenhagen in 1907. They moved again to Helsinki, where they resided for several years. However, as the Finnish Civil War loomed, they returned to Copenhagen.

In Copenhagen, Gunnar Nylund was educated at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts and subsequently joined Bing & Gröndahl during the 1920s. He later established the renowned ceramic workshop Saxbo Stentöj with Nathalie Krebs, seeking greater artistic liberty.

Gunnar Nylund spent a significant portion of his professional life at Rörstrand in Lidköping, Sweden, where he was appointed artistic director in 1931. Here, he crafted his famed animal figurines, as well as an array of crockery, vases, and bowls.

The time at Rörstrand
Although Gunnar Nylund was already an acclaimed ceramicist upon his arrival at Rörstrand, it was here that he produced some of his most seminal works. From the early 1930s to the mid-1950s, he created his iconic animal figurines in stoneware. His frequent visits to Copenhagen's zoo during his earlier years helped him design the extensive range of animal figures, from camels and horse heads to lions, parrots, and penguins. These figures ranged from realistic to more cubist styles, available in various colours with glazes from earthy to vibrant.