{"title":"KURT EKHOLM","description":"\u003cdiv style=\"margin-top: 0px;\" class=\"black-text-01\"\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eKURT EKHOLM｜1907–1975｜FINLAND\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eKurt Ekholm was a designer, artist, and art director at Arabia, and one of the key figures in the company’s modernization.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHe studied ceramic design at Tekniska Skolan in Stockholm (now Konstfack), and while still a student completed an internship at Rörstrand. There, under the guidance of Gunnar Nylund, who was then art director, he encountered stoneware and a functionalist approach to production, deepening his interest in modernism.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAfter completing his studies, he returned to Finland in 1931 and began working at Arabia that same year as a designer. He was appointed art director in 1932, and from 1933 until 1948 served as head of the Art Department.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAs a designer, he created the AH model in 1935 and the AR model (Sinivalko) in 1936, presenting some of the earliest functionalist tableware at Arabia. These works would later provide important inspiration for Kaj Franck’s Kilta series.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEkholm was also active as a ceramic artist, and his stoneware works were highly regarded in the mid-1930s. From around 1937 onward, however, his focus gradually shifted toward his responsibilities as art director and the operation of the Art Department, which he had helped shape. Over time, he devoted less attention to his own artistic production and increasingly concentrated on the department’s development and exhibition activities. In 1945, he invited Kaj Franck to join Arabia, helping to set in motion the postwar renewal of tableware design at the company.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHe also organized numerous exhibitions across the Nordic countries, introducing Finnish art, craft, and design, including works by artists associated with Arabia’s Art Department. These activities became an important foundation for exchange within the Nordic region and for the growing international recognition of Finnish design.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe museum opened inside the Arabia factory in 1948 was likewise initiated under Ekholm’s leadership. This effort to preserve and present the factory’s history, works, products, and artists stands as another of his major achievements at Arabia.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","products":[],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0786\/5761\/8160\/collections\/Collection_KurtEkholm.jpg?v=1777603928","url":"https:\/\/elephant-life.com\/en\/collections\/kurt-ekholm.oembed","provider":"ELEPHANT","version":"1.0","type":"link"}