"KREMLIN BELL" KF500/1500

Designed in 1957 and manufactured from 1957 to 1968. This is one of Kaj Franck's representative works and was one of the pieces exhibited when he won the Grand Prix at the 1957 Milan Triennale.

Initially designed as an everyday product, its beautiful form and high degree of perfection led to its sale as an art piece after 1960. For this reason, two product numbers exist: "1500" for items up to 1959 and "KF500" for items from 1960 onwards.

This is a composition where function and form beautifully merge, designed to hold alcohol in the upper bottle and water in the lower carafe.

The cut signature is "Nuutajärvi Notsjö".
This particular piece was manufactured between 1965 and 1968, based on the cut signature.
When held up to the light, slight water stains can be seen in the bottle section, but there is no noticeable damage, and the overall condition is good.

Price on request.
Price on request.

KAJ FRANCK｜Kaj Franck｜1911–1989｜FINLAND

Kaj Franck is one of the most prominent designers of 20th-century Finnish modern design. He studied under Arttu Brummer at the Central School of Arts and Crafts (now Aalto University) in Helsinki. After graduation, he worked in a wide range of fields, including furniture, interiors, and textiles.

In 1945, at the request of Kurt Ekholm, he was appointed chief designer at Arabia and was responsible for revamping tableware necessary for post-war daily life. In 1946, he became a glass designer at Iittala after winning an award in a Karhula-Iittala competition, but in 1950, he moved to Nuutajärvi, a group company under Wärtsilä (the same parent company as Arabia), and as director, began designing glassware with a shared philosophy with Arabia.

Kaj Franck's design philosophy, also known as "the conscience of Finland," is based on the ideas of "design for the masses" and "the social responsibility of designers." He designed many universal products that can be used for a long time, using simple geometric forms and colors free of ornamentation.

Arabia's KILTA (now TEEMA) series and Nuutajärvi's Tumbler 5027 (now KARTIO) series are long-selling products that are still manufactured by Iittala today. At the same time, Franck also created many highly artistic unique glass pieces at Nuutajärvi using a craft-based approach, which shows his artistic side.

From 1960, he also taught at the University of Art and Design Helsinki (now Aalto University), greatly influencing Finnish design education. He received numerous awards, including the Lunning Prize (1955), the Grand Prix at the Milan Triennale (1957), and the Compasso d'Oro Award (1957).