Designer · Finland · 1911–1989
Kaj Franck
Kaj Franck (1911–1989) – Finnish ceramics and glass designer, artistic director at Arabia from 1948, creator of the Kilta set and its successor Teema (1981).
We have no pieces designed by Kaj Franck available right now.
New pieces arrive every week. See what we have offered before below, or browse the shop.
About the designer
- Lifetime
- 1911–1989
- Country
- Finland
In 1932, Kaj Franck graduated in interior architecture from the Central School of Industrial Arts in Helsinki. From 1948, he was artistic director at Arabia, and between 1951–1976 he also worked for the Nuutajärvi glassworks. From the mid-1950s, glass was his primary material; at Nuutajärvi, he also created art and experimental glass. From 1960, he taught at the Institute of Industrial Arts in Helsinki for around 30 years.
Kilta tableware, introduced by Arabia from the early 1950s, was, according to MoMA, the first complete set of interchangeable tableware designed to go from oven to table, and the first tableware sold as individual pieces. In 1981, it was succeeded by Teema tableware.
He received a gold medal (1951), a diplôme d'honneur (1954) and the Grand Prix (1957) at the Milan Triennale, the Lunning Prize (1955) and the Compasso d'Oro (1957). In the 1950s, his work was shown as part of the Good Design exhibitions at MoMA, and in 1992 the museum organised the retrospective “Kaj Franck: Designer”. The Museum of Architecture and Design in Helsinki holds more than 7000 objects, photographs and drawings related to his work.
Key designs
-
Kilta
tableware from the early 1950s
-
Teema
tableware, successor to Kilta
