Attributed to Uno Åhrén and Björn Trägårdh - Design New York Tuesday, December 17, 2013 | Phillips

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  • Catalogue Essay

    In the early 1930s Estrid Ericson, a former art teacher, commissioned architect Uno Åhrén and artist Björn Trägådh to design a range of furniture for Svenskt Tenn, her fashionable design store on Stockholm’s Strandvägen. Although she had originally conceived of Svenskt Tenn in 1924 as a workshop and retailer of pewterware, she quickly broadened the firm’s offerings to include decorative objects, carpets, and furniture.

    A leading proponent of functionalism, Ericson promoted “Puritanically sober and pragmatically modern” works, as described by critic Gotthard Johansson.¹ Following a successful exhibition of Svenskt Tenn furnishings at Stockholm’s Galleri Modern in September 1931, Åhrén left the firm to pursue personal projects. He was followed in 1934 by Trägådh, who departed to pursue a painting career.

    ¹ Christopher Long, Josef Frank: Life and Work, Chicago, 2002, pp. 193-196

223

Wingback armchair

circa 1930
Fabric, stained pine.
44 x 24 5/8 x 27 1/8 in. (111.8 x 62.5 x 68.9 cm)
Manufactured by AB Nordiska Kompaniet, retailed by Svenskt Tenn, Sweden.

Estimate
$30,000 - 40,000 

Contact Specialist
Meaghan Roddy
Head of Sale, New York
mroddy@phillips.com
+ 1 212 940 1266

Design

New York 17 December 2013 2pm