Upsala-Ekeby AB
Upsala-Ekeby AB (stamp UE) was a Swedish manufacturer in Ekeby, a district of Uppsala .
Along with Gustavsberg and Rörstrand, Upsala-Ekeby was one of the three large porcelain manufacturers in Sweden. The factory was founded in 1886 by the von Bahr family. The clay deposits on site were well suited for the production of tiles and clinker slabs ; brick , roof tiles , tiled stoves , vases and bowls were later added to the range. At first, foreign ceramic products were copied, but the home exhibition at Liljevalchs in Stockholm in 1917 opened the eyes of many sellers of industrially manufactured mass-produced goods to the fact that such products could also be artistically designed.This is why Upsala-Ekeby hired the first artists from 1920.
Anna-Lisa Thomson and Sven Erik Skawonius joined the team in the 1930s, later Vicke Lindstrand and Ingrid Atterberg followed . Under them the manufactory got a new artistic direction. Upsala-Ekeby's products won international awards ( Paris 1937, New York 1939), became popular, and were inexpensive. Tiles and clinker were the company's most successful products during the 1950s. Around 60 million panels were produced each year, many of which still adorn the walls of some Stockholm underground stations .
During the 1930s and 1940s, smaller manufacturers were bought and in 1964 the competitor Rörstrand. Some glassworks such as Kosta Boda were also incorporated. The corporate structure was fragmented too much by these expansions. During the 1970s they were forced to quit all artists, and in 1978 production finally stopped.