Inga Lisa Larson, (née Alhage) was born in Härlunda, Sweden in 1931. She studied ceramics 1950–1954 at the then century old Handicraft School in Gothenburg and is today known as one of Sweden’s most beloved mid-century ceramists.
Initially she wanted to study fashion, but found her love in clay.
When Lisa Larson in the mid 1950s joined the Swedish ceramic factory Gustavsberg through a design competition, she thought she would only work there for one year. That year turned in 26 as she stayed until 1980 and created many classics along the way, working closely with the artistic director Stig Lindberg. He had discovered one of her cats made out of clay and her mission was to develop Gustavsberg’s line of decorative items.
The beloved product ranges
Lisa Larson is perhaps best know for her different range of humorous ceramic sculptures such as Little Zoo and especially the lion from 1955, ABC Girls from 1958, Larson’s Kids from 1961, Astrid Lindgren’s Pippi Longstocking in the late 1960s and Skansen in 1976. She created ‘Children of the world’ 1975-1979 by assignment from Unicef with a part of the proceeds going to their work. The series Advent Children and was put into production in 1979 and is still being sold. In the late 1970s Larson designed a number of bronze statues for Scandia Present AB with the name “The Ant”, “The Great Sailor” and “Teenager”. Her recurring themes are fauna, motherhood and family life.
Larson started freelancing in 1981 for companies like Rosenthal, Höganäs and Skrufs Glassworks and created public art such as the Saltsjöbaden Beast and the Byzantine Angel in Hällefors.
In 1992 she founded Keramikstudion located in the Gustavsberg harbour together with her collaborators Siv Solins and Franco Nicolosi, who still run the ceramic studio and produce pieces for sale around the world.
Lisa Larsson was married to the designer Gunnar Larson. Together they visited as guest artists in the atelier of the sculptor Peter Voulkos in Berkeley, California.
- Lisa Larsson
- Born 1931
- Retrospective exhibitions at Röhsska in Gothenburg, Shigaraki Museum in Japan and the National Museum in Stockholm.
- Best known for her characteristic Swedish ceramic design of the 20th century.