artist: Wilhelm Kåge (Swedish 1889-1960)
medium: rotogravure
dimensions: 22 x 27 cm (paper size)
signed and numbered limited edition 25/100
signed and dated 54
presented in a new archival mat and backing with hand finished timber frame and non-reflective UV glass - photos to follow
AU $515 (approx US $360 / 320 EUROS / 56,000 yen / 270 GBP - for exact current conversion visit xe.com)
* purchase along with the other Kåge piece we have here for the special price of $925 for the pair. Purchase each and we will refund you the difference ($105) plus shipping of one (single shipping charge).
artist biography
Algot Wilhelm Kåge was born 6 March, 1889. He Swedish artist and designer, best known as a ceramic designer and as the artistic leader of the Gustavsberg porcelain factory.
Kåge studied decorative painting at Tekniska Skolan in Stockholm and later for the painter Carl W. Wilhelmson in Gothenburg, Johan Rodhe in Copenhagen and at Plakatschule in Munich, where he learnt graphic techniques.
His early career was dedicated to advertising and the production of posters, but his best known work was in ceramics, begun when he was appointed artistic leader of Gustavsberg in 1917, remaining there until 1949, when he was succeeded by Stig Lindberg. He was presented with the Prince Eugen Medal for design that same year.
The focus of Kåge's early ceramic designs, as of much of Swedish design of this period was on practical solutions to social issues, an example of which was his Praktika (1933), a simply designed and stackable set of tableware aimed at working-class families. Praktika was a commercial failure, as the intended buyers preferred more traditional and ornate products.
Kåge's most commercially successful design was the Green-glaced Argenta, earthenware with decorations in silver, that was produced in many shapes and with many different surface designs.
Whilst best known as one of Sweden’s most collected and admired 20th Century ceramicists, Kåge was also a keen artist and produced paintings through his life. His drawings, decorative studies and paintings reveal an artist whose approach to form was consistent across different media: economical yet expressive lines, carefully balanced compositions and a keen understanding of colour, surface and ornament. His graphic work is an important part of his legacy, offering insight into the visual imagination that informed his ceramic designs.
Kåge is represented in numerous public collections worldwide including the National Museum in Stockholm, the Swedish National Library, the Industrial Art museums in Oslo, Copenhagen, Vienna, Budapest and Prague, as well as the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.
He passed away on 25 November, 1960.