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Kaj Franck

Kaj Franck (1911-1989) was the consummate example of a modern designer in a commercial setting. With all his work at various Finnish companies, Franck immersed himself in the design, manufacture and promotion of the products. He was involved in the theory and teaching of design his entire career. He traveled extensively to study design in other parts of the world.

Kaj Franck completed the interior design program at the Helsinki School of Industrial Design in 1932. He joined the ceramics firm of Arabia in 1945. At Arabia he soon became the director of design, and was responsible for many innovative designs of tableware, including the "Kilta" series.

As a result of winning a design competition organized by Iittala in 1946 (Tapio Wirkkala shared in the award), Franck also began designing glass for Iittala. His work in glass continued when the holding company, Wartsila (which owned Arabia) also acquired Nuutajarvi Notsjo. At Nuutajarvi a tremendous range of modern, functional glassware was developed under Franck. He also was responsible for reinvigorating Nuutajarvi's studio glass with such works as the "Prisma", "Kremlin Bells" and "Slush" creations.

During his long and vigorous career, Franck received many awards including: the Lunning Prize in 1955, a gold medal at the Milan Triennale in 1951, and a grand prize at the Milan Triennale in 1957. Kaj Franck retired from Wartsila in 1977, but continued teaching and designing. The New York Museum of Modern Art organized a retrospective show of his work in 1992.