Kaj Franck

Kaj Gabriel Franck (born November 9, 1911 in Vyborg (Finnish: Viipuri ), Finland (now Russia), † September 26, 1989 in Helsinki ) was a Finnish designer who was referred to as "the conscience of Finnish design". Along with Alvar Aalto , Tapio Wirkkala and Timo Sarpaneva, he was one of the most important representatives of Finnish design .

Hors d'oeuvre - Kaj Franck 1957

Life and work

Franck's father Kurt came from a Lübeck merchant family, his mother Genéviève came from a Finnish-Swedish family of artists and worked as a trained furniture designer herself. Her father, Franck's grandfather, the architect and writer Johan Jacob Ahrenberg , was Arabia's first industrial designer . After the father's death, the family moved to Helsinki in 1918 , where Franck went to school. He then studied furniture design at the Central School for Industrial Design (Taideteollinen Korkeakoulu) , the predecessor of today's University of Art and Design, and graduated in 1932 as an interior designer.

In 1930 Franck visited the Stockholm exhibition , which brought functionalism to the Nordic countries. His own development revolves around the discussion for and against functionalism and the Finnish expression of art and design. He did not adopt the principles of functionalism in his work until the late 1940s in order to meet the challenges of severe social and economic upheavals in the post-war period and the reconstruction in Finland.

Franck's draft for military service in 1939 brought him out of the artistic and educated upper class for the first time into close contact with socially disadvantaged sections of the population, which shaped his future life and changed his ideas of design away from handicrafts towards well-designed, generally available mass products .

1933–1934 he worked as an illustrator for the catalogs of the Riihimäki glass works, then as an interior designer, window dresser, textile designer and outfitter at the TE-MA department store in Helsinki. From 1938 to 1945 he designed printed fabrics for Yhtyneet Villatehtaat and Helsingin Taidevärjäämö . Franck designed his first tableware for the Finnish Family Welfare Association in 1946.

1945–50 he designed glass products for Iittala , in 1946 he started as a designer at Arabia , where he quickly rose to head designer and with Kilta developed his most famous tableware, which is still available today. In 1951 he moved to Nuutajarvi, a glass manufacturer that got into trouble after a fire and was taken over by the then owner of Arabia, the Wärtsilä Group, where he was artistic director until 1976. He continued to design for Arabia and other companies such as Iittala.

In addition, from 1946 onwards, he initially worked as a teacher and later as artistic director of the Art School, the predecessor of the Helsinki School of Art and Design .

layout

principle

Kaj Franck designed simple, extremely simply designed everyday objects. He left out everything superfluous; the form reduced to its base. Another of his principles was the harmony of colors and shapes. The reduction to the essentials clearly reflects Franck's conviction

"The only way to solve the design problems of consumer goods is to be radical and social."

It is in a development that is shown today in the oldest design museum in the world, founded in Helsinki in 1875. Even before they achieved national independence, the Finns were looking for their own identity alongside language and history in the design of everyday objects. This design tradition has its origins in self-made things of the peasant way of life and Finnish national romanticism , which, inspired by German Art Nouveau , goes back to the folklore of Karelia and the national myths of Kaleva .

The traditional Finnish agrarian state experienced an unprecedented development into a modern industrial and welfare state with Western European characteristics as a result of the destruction, population shifts and other upheavals in the wake of the Second World War, necessary new construction and reconstruction work throughout the country. An integral and necessary part of this development are the icons of modern Finnish architecture and design. In the design of everyday objects, tableware by Tapio Wirkkala , Timo Sarpaneva and Kaj Franck, vases by Alvar Aalto or fabrics and clothing in cheeky designs by marimekko are indispensable and internationally recognized.

Experiments

Regardless of whether artistic work or an object of daily use, Franck's main interest was always the development of new techniques, materials and designs, properties and forms of expression. As a result of his experiments at Nuutajärvi, many traditional techniques have been reviewed and new production methods have been developed, such as color ring technology, the production of traditional filigree or overlaid glass. Franck discovered the filigree technique for himself in the 1950s and experimented with it until the 1970s, repeatedly designing unique pieces.

effect

Geometry and Universal Shapes

Franck insisted on the general validity of basic geometric shapes such as cubes, cones, cylinders, etc., which gave him the basis for his designs and from which he developed universal, globally valid forms that span cultures. This is exemplified in the classic, semi-spherical shape of the teacups that he preferred. In terms of design, he also always referred to forms that have developed to final maturity in the course of long practical use and human use, without being able to name an individual designer or reflect on how they came about. Such objects have taken their form over time and served people through the centuries. He found defining examples of this primarily in Japan .

Japan

Franck first visited Japan in 1956 to learn about Japanese art and garden design . He was not an uncritical admirer, but recognized something unique and constant and worked it out for himself. Cast iron objects that are used in the tea ceremony have taken over it as well as ceramics, wooden objects or textiles. Materials and their surfaces impressed him in the same way as the shape and artistic design. His own minimalism and his rejection of the superfluous or waste found their congenial reflection in the sensitivity, awareness and respect for the materials in the art and design of classical Japan. Franck described the Hojo-Teien Zen garden of the Ryōan-ji Temple in Kyoto as "perhaps the most beautiful thing I have ever seen".

Famous: Kartio, Kilta, Teema and others

His best known glass series was Kartio (1958–1975) for Nuutajärvi. On this basis and his ceramic tableware series Kilta for Arabia , created in the 1950s, the tableware series Teema was created, one of his internationally best-known works. The artist expressed the principle of his creative work in the services: constant striving for pure form and simple beauty.

In the 1950s, Franck was successful at the Milan Triennials .

Kilta selection

Kilta

Franck's motto “smash the dinnerware” describes the radicalism of his design approach, from which the Kilta tableware was also created. In 1948, in the middle of the reconstruction of the Finnish post-war period, Franck began to develop and design the ceramic tableware series for Arabia . Simple and clear in color, surfaces and shape, in a handy size and practicable simplicity, this today's classic corresponded then as now to the ideal of Finnish modernism. The timeless design emerged from its impetus. The porcelain objects he designed for everyday use avoid any unnecessary decoration. In his opinion, an object must be functional, robust, durable, easy to clean and indispensable in order to be considered good and beautiful. Although without formal training in ceramic design, Franck has solved this challenge. It is the consistent implementation of "form follows function", reduction to the essentials and harmony of color and shape. Essential features are harmony and interchangeability between the individual parts, even across color boundaries. In 1958, the Kilta crockery consisted of 37 combinable white, black, blue, green and yellow individual parts. Kilta was the first series of dishes; not launched and sold as a traditional full service, but in individual, freely combinable components. A well-known part was the Kilta cream jug (1948) that was suitable for storage and tableware at the same time. The market launch took place in 1953; Production ended in 1974.

Teema

In the meantime, individual parts are being made from kilta again; renewed and adapted to current conditions as Teema tableware . The redesign of this series was one of Kaj Franck's last projects. The new Teema from 1977 consists of 19 different parts, which are based only on the elementary geometric shapes cone, circle and square.

Arabia

In 1945 Franck became the designer of the Arabia Porcelain Works in Helsinki, since 1946 as head of the entire artistic redesign, a position he held until 1961. Together with Saara Hopea , Kaarina Aho and Ulla Procopé , he formed the design team there for design in the shape and decor of the porcelain, for exhibitions and projects. In alternating roles, they were simultaneously responsible for the sales brochures, product presentations, training for sales representatives and general (artistic) public relations.

At Arabia, Franck continued the developments for everyday objects that had been started in the 1930s by Kurt Ekholm (1907–1975), one of the pioneers of functionalism. He was part of an international movement in design that had set itself the goal of redesigning and improving mass-produced everyday objects in order to meet societal need for modern design. He was influenced thereby z. B. by the Swede Wilhelm Kåge (1889–1960), designer at the porcelain factory Gustavsberg , Wilhelm Wagenfeld (1900–1990), Bauhaus Weimar , and the Americans Mary (1905–1952) and Russel Wright (1904–1976).

Glass

Iittala

In 1946/47 Franck took part in a glass design competition by Iittala , which was supposed to produce new designs for the large Nordic arts and crafts exhibition in Stockholm. Tapio Wirkkala won first prize , Franck the second and third. One of his submissions was a cut glass carafe. The bubble design glass that followed in the same year was to become a symbol of his future work for Iittala. 1946–50 Franck designed the water carafes and drinking glasses of the "Kartio" series. In September 1948, the Tupa series was presented at a small industrial design exhibition in the Stockmann department store in Helsinki . The parts were made of blown green glass and were inspired by a Finnish glass tradition that had grown over time.

Nuutajärvi

Franck also designed utility glass for Nuutajärvi . It came at a time when the company was in dire need of new shapes due to brisk demand from markets in Europe and the United States. At the same time, the direct competitor in Finland, Arabia, was the market leader with a quasi-monopoly in both households and catering.

Franck worked extensively for Nuutajärvi from 1950 to 1976 and, as artistic director from 1951, created many large series of utility glass, pressed glass as well as blown goods. He stepped back as a designer behind the Nuutajärvi brand. In 1965, as Artistic Director, he said:

“Even design for series production shouldn't bore people. It has to be so formative that it will last for years and decades, but so unobtrusive that consumers don't ask about the designer. The brand name should suffice as manufacturer information. "

- Kaj Franck : Kaunis Koti Magazin (Beautiful Home) , 1965

It was not until the 1970s that Nuutajärvi, Franck and others abandoned this reluctance to name the designer. This was never accepted by the public: consumers knew and always named the designers of popular glass or tableware series.

Colored glass

Colored glass, which in the past mainly served the purpose of covering impurities in the glass mass, has become a trademark for Nuutajärvi. Because the color of glass is different depending on the quality, different colors were used for glass blowing, for pressed glass and for synthetic glass. In the glass-blowing workshop, the color was also different depending on the wall thickness; In the case of pressed glass, the intensity of the color changes with the wall thickness. With new pigments, production techniques and the composition of the glass mass, the colors changed over the years; the production became plannable and predictable. In 1953, with the product number 5023, Nuutajärvi introduced a new, multicolored range of glass objects that became a success in both Finland and the USA. Franck was then able to experiment and combine more freely with different, even expensive, color materials.

Varia

Franck also designed the interior for the main Wärtsilä-Arabia store and showroom at 25 North Esplanade in downtown Helsinki; 1952 in collaboration with Saara Hopea .

Appreciations

Exhibitions

Franck's work has been represented in numerous national and international exhibitions, including the influential touring exhibition Design in Scandinavia , which was shown in the USA and Canada from 1954 to 1957 and in Australia from 1968 to 1969, and the Milan Triennials in 1951, 1954, 1957 and 1960 and the Brussels World's Fair in 1958 . As early as 1956 it was shown in a museum context in the exhibition Tre finske kunsthåndværkere (German: Three Finnish Craftsmen) in the Kunstindustrimuseet , which later became the Design Museum , in Copenhagen.

Retrospectively, his life's work was presented in exhibitions in 1991 at the Design Museum Helsinki, 1992 at MoMA , New York and 1997 at the Heinola Municipal Museum. In the summer of 2003, the Arabia Museum Helsinki honored the 50th anniversary of the Kilta tableware and the Design Forum Finland presented the special exhibition “Kaj Franck Today”.

On the occasion of his centenary birthday in 2011, Franck was honored by a number of Finnish design institutions with events, publications and a central exhibition at the Helsinki Design Museum. In 2013 the Designmuseum Danmark also showed an exhibition on the life and work of Franck.

His work is in the collections of many design and applied arts museums.

Prices

Franck received a gold medal in 1951 and the Grand Prize of the Triennial Milan in 1957, the Lunning Prize in 1955 , the Compasso d'Oro Milan in 1957 , the Prinz Eugen Medal Sweden in 1964, the Pro Finlandia Medal 1957, the Finnish State Design Prize 1977, the honorary award of the Svenska Kulturfonden foundation in 1981 and the honorary award of the city of Helsinki in 1986.

Honors

Professorship (honorary title) in Finland in 1972 and honorary doctorate from the Royal College of Art , London in 1983 .

The Design Forum Finland has been awarding the Kaj Franck Design Prize, endowed with 10,000 euros, annually since 1992 to a designer or a group of designers who have distinguished themselves with work in the spirit of Kaj Franck.

In January 2011, the Finnish Mint released a 10 euro commemorative coin “Kaj Franck and Industrial Art” for his 100th birthday .

literature

• Kaj Franck. Muotoilija. Form givars. Designer. Helsinki 1992.
• Municipal Museum Heinola (Ed.): Kaj Franck. Teema yes muunnelmia. Theme and variations. Lahti 1997.
• Alfons Hannes (with contributions by Wolfgang Kermer and Erwin Eisch ): The Wolfgang Kermer Collection, Frauenau Glass Museum : Glass of the 20th Century; 1950s to 1970s (= Bavarian Museums, Volume 9). Schnell & Steiner, Munich / Zurich 1989, ISBN 3-7954-0753-2 , pp. 52–53 with illus.
• Kaisa Koivisto: Kolme tarinaa lasista. Lasitutkimuksia - Glass Research XIII. 2001 Suomen lasimuseon julkaisu. Vammala 2001.
• Tuula Poutasuo: Modern Glass Design: Artists and Designers. In: Anne Stenros (Ed.): Visions of Modern Finnish Design. Keuruu 1999.
• Liisa Räsänen (Ed.): Kaj Franck - Muotoilijan tunnustuksia. Form och miljö. Taideteollisen korkeakoulun julkaisusarja B 12; 2nd Edition. 1991.
• Liisa Räsänen: Seeking Beauty: Utility Objects in Finland. In: Anne Stenros (Ed.): Visions of Modern Finnish Design. Keuruu 1999.
• Pia Strandman (Ed.): Ateneum Masquerad. Taideteollisuuden muotoja ja murroksia. Taideteollinen korkeakoulu, UIAH 1999.

Article about Kaj Franck in Form Function Finland :

• Eeva Siltavuori: The dream of a timeless object. FFF Volume 3/1987.
• Tapio Periäinen: The universal Kaj Franck. FFF Volume 4/1997.
• Carla Enbom: Kaj Franck (1911-1989). A designer who practiced what he preached. FFF Volume 4/2001.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ on the career cf. the exhibition flyer ( exhibition pamphlet, PDF) the exhibition Kaj Franck: Teema med variationer ( Memento of 29 November 2014 Internet Archive ) in Danish Museum of Art & Design , 2013 (Danish / English).
2. ↑ cf. What is filigree art glass? At: Galactic Art Glass ( Memento from September 22, 2012 in the Internet Archive )
3. ↑ Examples for Nuutajärvi on Designlasi.com : Goblet KF 287 , Pro Arte Filigree goblet 002813 , Carafe KF 292
4. ↑ Photos in the forum of Designlasi.com.
5. Jump up ↑ Saara Hopea Infraction (English)
6. ↑ Kurt Ekholm (1907-1975) ceramist, artistic director and rector
7. ↑ http://www.designlasi.com/en/content/vase-3239-franck-kaj-en
8. ↑ http://www.designlasi.com/en/content/tupa-carafe-and-glasses-franck-kaj-en
9. ↑ http://www.designlasi.com/en/content/tupa-carafe-and-glasses-franck-kaj-en
10. ↑ quoted from: Christophe Bruchansky: Kaj Franck on Serial Production and Anonymity. June 23, 2011 ( Memento from December 31, 2011 in the Internet Archive ).
11. ↑ http://www.designlasi.com/en/content/tumbler-5023-franck-kaj-en
12. ↑ [1] Design Forum Finland (Finnish)
13. ↑ cf. Catalog page of the exhibition with glass bowls by Franck on Flickr (accessed on November 17, 2014).
14. ↑ ^{a b} cf. Press release of March 18, 2013 ( memento of November 29, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) on the exhibition Kaj Franck: Teema med variationer in the Designmuseum Danmark , 2013 (English).
15. ↑ Press release on the exhibition Kaj Franck: Designer im MoMA , 1992 (PDF, English, accessed on November 17, 2014).
16. ^ The Kaj Franck Centenary Year Provides a Broad Perspective on the Designer's Oeuvre. Dexigner.com, March 29, 2011 (accessed April 21, 2018).
17. ↑ cf. Work by Kaj Franck at MoMA , New York (accessed November 17, 2014).
18. ↑ Hans Krondahl: Tema Lunning Prize winners - The Lunning Prize / Lunningpriset . Project Runeberg, 2011. (Eng.)
19. ↑ Overview and list of the winners of the Kaj Franck Design Prize (English).
20. ^ The Kaj Franck and Industrial Art commemorative coin. Finnish coin (English) ( Memento of 29 November 2014 Internet Archive ).

Web links

Commons : Kaj Franck  - collection of images, videos and audio files

• Glass designed by Kaj Franck , designlasi.com, Finnish design glass from 1930's to 1980's (English)
• Glass designed by Kaj Franck , ajan-muisto.fi (Finnish)
• iittala homepage - Kaj Franck (english)