Friedl Holzer-Kjellberg (1905-1993)
ceramist
Friedl (Elfriede) Holzer-Kjellberg was born in Austria on 24 October 1905. She studied at a school of applied arts in Graz, specializing in ceramics and graduating in 1924. Inspired by the example of her sister, who had travelled in Finland, Friedl Holzer-Kjellberg decided to seek work here, entering the employ of the Arabia factory in Helsinki in July 1924.
Prior to Holzer-Kjellberg, there had only been two artist-designers at the Arabia factory, Thure Öberg and Greta Lisa Jäderholm-Snellman, in addition to Tyra Lundgren of Sweden who was a visiting designer. During her first years at the factory, Kjellberg designed small works of sculpture of human and animal figures. Her works were included in the Arabia department at the Barcelona World’s Fair of 1929, where they received a silver medal. In the 1930s, Kjellberg became one of the artists and designers of the Arabia Art Department headed by Kurt Ekholm. Her works of the period included bowls, vases, dishes and sculptures. They employ simple and distinct forms often in grey, brown or light colours with a markedly earthy touch. Tea tables with painted ceramic tiles were a speciality of the period. Kjellberg would also paint her works with motifs in an art deco spirit.
Friedl Holzer-Kjellberg is best known for her rice-porcelain objects. Visiting the Museum of Applied Art in Vienna in the early 1930s, she was fascinated by small Chinese rice-porcelain pieces. At the Arabia factory, she began experiments to develop the necessary production methods, taking the Chinese techniques of the 18th century as her example. The first rice-porcelain tableware items began to be produced in 1942. Rice porcelain became one of the Arabia factory’s most successful articles, for which a separate department was founded, headed by Kjellberg. This type of porcelain was a speciality of the Arabia factory, having been made elsewhere in Europe only by Sèvres of France around the turn of the century. Among other items, rice porcelain represented Finland at the Milan Triennials of the 1950s and contributed to establishing the solid reputation of Finnish design in exhibitions around the world. The production of rice porcelain was at its peak in the 1950s and 1960s, but was discontinued in 1974 with the merger of the Arabia and Rörstrand factories and for environmental reasons. A new kiln made it possible to resume the manufacture of rice porcelain with new products in 1984.
Friedl Kjellberg also made a great deal of one-off ceramics: large porcelain bowls, vases and bottles with oxblood, copper and titanium glazes glowing in reddish brown and cobalt blue hues. Kjellberg did not hold her first solo exhibition until 1953. Noted among the exhibits were her so-called cluster or bunch vases, inspired by narrow vases that had fallen and adhered to each other in the kiln.
Alongside her own artistic and design work, Friedl Holzer-Kjellberg spent several years as head of the Arabia factory’s art department as Kurt Ekholm’s successor. She was also the first director of the Arabia Museum, founded in 1948.
Shortly before her retirement, Friedl Kjellberg exhibited her works at the Wärtsilä-Arabia showrooms in Helsinki in 1970. A memorial exhibition in honour of her was held in her home town of Porvoo in the summer of 1989, followed by another memorial exhibition at the Arabia museum in 1994.
Auli Suortti-Vuorio
Bibliography
Friedl Kjellberg. Keraamikon tie 1924-1970. En keramikers väg 1924-1970. Luettelo / Katalog. Teksti / Text Mirja-Kaisa Hipeli. Porvoo/Borgå 1989.
Kumela, Marjut, Paatero, Kristiina & Rissanen, Kaarina, Arabia. Helsinki 1987.
Nyman, Hannele, Arabia-Rörstrand 1975-1977. Yhteistyösopimuksen tausta, synty ja vaikutukset Arabian tuotantoon. / Arabia-Rörstrand 1975-1977. Samarbetsavtalets bakgrund, uppkomst och inverkan på Arabias produktion. In: Keramos. Kirjoituksia keramiikasta / Artiklar om keramik. Helsinki / Helsingfors 1996.
Siltavuori, Eeva, Metaphors of sacred beauty. Chinese influences in Finnish Ceramics. Form Function Finland. Vol. 4/1986
Photos:
Ceramic vases
Rice porcelain
