Stig Lindberg

Stig Lindberg
Bent K. Rsamussen, Public domain

Gustavsberg's playful designer.

Stig Lindberg designed ceramics, textiles and illustrations at Gustavsberg. The Spisa Ribb tableware and the Berså pattern are found in millions of homes.

Stig Lindberg was born in Umeå in 1916. He studied painting at Konstfack in Stockholm and in 1937 joined the Gustavsberg porcelain factory outside Stockholm, where he became a pupil and assistant of the artist Wilhelm Kåge. Kåge had made Gustavsberg a place where artists could develop both unique works and everyday tableware.

Early on Lindberg made small figurines and faience in cheerful colours and playful shapes, which caught on with the public in the 1940s. He became artistic director of Gustavsberg in 1949 and held the post for two periods. He designed the Spisa Ribb tableware of the 1950s, with its relief ribbing, and Berså of 1960, with a pattern of green leaves, which is found in countless Swedish homes. He also made art ware, stoneware and bathroom porcelain.

His work extended far beyond ceramics. For NK's Textilkammare, led by Astrid Sampe, he designed printed fabrics such as Fruktlåda of 1947. He illustrated children's books, including some by Lennart Hellsing, and designed television sets, glass and enamel objects. His style is humorous and organic, with soft forms, lively lines and a sense of play, but always with an eye to practical use.

Lindberg won several gold medals at the Milan Triennale in the 1940s and 1950s, and he helped make Swedish design known internationally. He also taught at Konstfack. In 1980 he moved to Italy and continued working with ceramics there.

Stig Lindberg died in Italy in 1982. His patterns and forms have become classics, and many have been reissued. Today he is seen as one of the most versatile and best-loved designers in Swedish design history.