CREAMER

A creamer created by Kyllikki Salmenhaara at the Arabia Art Department.

The thin and delicately rising rim, together with the sharp form created by its two-tiered structure, gives this small piece a striking sense of tension.
The restrained glaze expression contrasts with the sharp form, further enhancing its presence.

Judging from its style, it is presumed to date from around 1957 to 1961.
Signed “ARABIA KS”.
* In good condition with no noticeable damage.

KYLLIKKI SALMENHAARA｜1915–1981｜FINLAND

Kyllikki Salmenhaara is one of the most distinguished ceramists of 20th-century Finnish pottery, who elevated exceptional wheel-throwing skills to the realm of art. Throughout her life, she dedicated herself to the study and education of ceramics.

From 1938, she majored in ceramics under Elsa Elenius at the Central School of Arts and Crafts. Even during her studies, she demonstrated her talent early on by winning top prizes in school contests.

After graduation, she worked as a glass designer at Kauklahti Glassworks for three years. In 1946, she studied glaze research at Saxbo in Denmark, where she was mentored by Nathalie Krebs, known as a glaze chemist. The experience gained in glaze research here became the foundation for the unique glaze expressions seen in her later works.

Subsequently, after working at Sakari Vapaavuori's studio, she joined Arabia in 1947. Initially, she worked as an assistant to Olga Osol, head of the applied arts department, but transferred to the art department in 1950 and remained there until 1961. While conducting research on the composition of ceramic clays and glazes, and firing techniques, she created works characterized by glaze expressions that highlight material textures and powerful forms made on the wheel.

Her stay in the United States in 1956, where she was exposed to the burgeoning studio ceramics movement, is believed to have led to her subsequent free and powerful expressive forms.

Her work also received high international acclaim, winning a silver medal in 1951, an honorable mention in 1954, a Grand Prix in 1957, and a gold medal in 1960 at the Milan Triennale, receiving awards at every exhibition she participated in.

She left Arabia after an accident during production, when she injured her finger on a sharp object mixed in with the clay, and from 1961, she became involved in ceramics education at a university in Taiwan. From 1963 until her death in 1981, she worked as an educator and researcher at the School of Art and Design and the University of Art and Design Helsinki.

In 1974, she published her book "Keramiikka," which summarized her years of research and experience. This book, which systematically compiled information on ceramic materials, wheel-throwing techniques, clay and glaze formulations, and firing, had a significant impact on ceramics education and research in Finland.

Through her works, research, and educational activities, Salmenhaara left a significant mark on 20th-century Finnish ceramics.

Arabia Art Department｜1932–early 1970s｜FINLAND

The Arabia Art Department was organized in 1932 by Kurt Ekholm, and its structure as a department was firmly established the following year, when Ekholm became its director.

The Art Department functioned as an independent space within the factory, providing artists with an environment for free creative work while allowing them to maintain a certain distance from industrial production. The results of this activity were fed back into industrial products through experimentation with materials, glazes, and forming techniques, creating an interaction between art and industry. It also served to embody and communicate Arabia’s cultural identity.

This philosophy was rooted in the values of craft and art emphasized by Arttu Brummer, who played a leading role at the Central School of Arts and Crafts, and was realized by artists trained there under Elsa Elenius. Ekholm’s institutionalization of the Art Department can be understood as a reorganization of this educational foundation within an industrial context.

Members of the Art Department included Toini Muona, Aune Siimes, Michael Schilkin, Birger Kaipiainen, Rut Bryk, Kyllikki Salmenhaara, and Oiva Toikka. Friedl Kjellberg, who had been working at Arabia since 1924, was one of the artists active even before the department was formally organized, and remained an important member after its establishment. In 1948, she became director of the Art Department.

The artists of the Art Department formed two major lineages: one represented by Toini Muona and Kyllikki Salmenhaara, based on wheel-thrown ceramics and glaze expression; and the other represented by Birger Kaipiainen and Rut Bryk, characterized by decorative and narrative expression using reliefs and ceramic plaques. Though contrasting in nature, both played an essential role in broadening the range and depth of expression within the Art Department.

The Art Department’s activities were also highly acclaimed in international exhibitions, receiving awards continuously from the 1930s onward, including at the Paris Exposition. At the Milan Triennale from the 1950s to 1960 in particular, Rut Bryk (1951), Kyllikki Salmenhaara (1957), and Birger Kaipiainen (1960) won the Grand Prix, while Honorable Mentions were awarded to Birger Kaipiainen, Michael Schilkin (1951), Rut Bryk, Toini Muona, and Kyllikki Salmenhaara (1954), and Aune Siimes received a Gold Medal in 1954. Kyllikki Salmenhaara in particular became a key figure in establishing the Art Department’s international standing, winning awards in four consecutive Triennales between 1951 and 1960, including the Grand Prix.

In the early 1970s, following an organizational restructuring, the Art Department’s name and function were transferred to the Atelier department, marking the end of its role as an independent department.

Its philosophy continues today and is carried on in the activities of the Art Department Society.

ARABIA｜1873–｜FINLAND

Arabia was founded in 1873 in the Arabia district on the outskirts of Helsinki as a subsidiary of the Swedish ceramics manufacturer Rörstrand. Production began the following year in 1874. In 1916 Arabia separated from Rörstrand’s ownership and became an independent Finnish company.

In 1929 a tunnel kiln measuring 112 meters in length—one of the largest in the world at the time—was introduced, establishing an efficient mass-production system. This development enabled Arabia to grow into one of the leading ceramic factories in Europe.

In 1932 Kurt Ekholm was appointed Art Director and organized artistic activity at Arabia into a dedicated art department. He created an environment that allowed artists to work freely and established a structure in which product design and artistic works could develop side by side.

One of Arabia’s defining characteristics was its production system, which was divided into three closely connected fields: the Art Department, the Applied Arts Department, and the Product Design Department.

Artists such as Toini Muona, Friedl Kjellberg, Michael Schilkin, Birger Kaipiainen, Rut Bryk, and Kyllikki Salmenhaara worked within the art department. Their works gained international recognition from the 1930s onward, playing an important role in both the cultural identity of Arabia and the development of Finnish ceramic art.

In the 1940s Friedl Kjellberg developed Rice Porcelain using a delicate pierced porcelain technique. Mass production began in 1950 and continued until 1974, becoming one of Arabia’s most iconic artistic porcelain series and gaining international acclaim.

Influenced by the rise of Functionalism in Northern Europe during the 1930s, Ekholm introduced the AR tableware series (Sinivalko) in 1935, presenting a new direction that would later shape the development of Nordic modern design.

In 1945 Kaj Franck joined Arabia as a designer. Together with designers such as Kaarina Aho and Ulla Procopé, he led a major renewal of product design. The Kilta series, introduced in 1953, became a major success as a modern tableware design characterized by simple geometric forms and versatility.

Arabia has received numerous international awards since the 1930s. In particular, at the Milan Triennale of the 1950s (1951, 1954, and 1957), many works from both the art department and the product designers were awarded prizes, establishing Arabia’s international reputation.