Vicke Lindstrand (1904-1983) began as a bookbinder, advertising and sign painter, and as caricaturist, before he became a glass artist - a glass artist as we today refer to as a pioneer in the Swedish Glass Design.

 

In 1928 he was employed by Orrefors glassworks, where he worked with Simon Gate and Edward Hald. Here Lindstrand produced a variety of engraved glass. Some of the best known is the ”perl fisher” and ”in front of the mirror”. He gradually designed more colored glass, and he worked with the so-called graal technique, which he developed in the 1930s. The best known graal glass by Lindstrand are: "Europe and the Bull" and "Mycenae". Together with another very talented Glass Artist, Edvin Öhrström, Lindstrand invented the Ariel technique. The name is taken from the Shakespeare play "The Tempest", Ariel is the name of a spirit, who uses white magic and is in the service of a magician. Magic is a word, which very well describes the glass production of Lindstrand and Ohrström from that time. Especially Öhrström worked on with the Ariel technique, and it made him famous.

 

From 1943 to 1950 Vicke Lindstrand was the artistic director of the ceramics company Upsala Ekeby, where he also designed vases and figurines.

 

In 1950 Lindstrand was hired as artistic director by Kosta Glassworks, where he created numerous designs in different techniques. Well-known is the "gondola" 1952 " Safari " 1955 , "Autumn " and " Spring " of 1950, " Abstracta " from 1950 and "Zebra" also from 1950's. His production is very large, and you can always find Lindstrand glass, which you have not seen before.

 

Vicke Lindstrand left Kosta in 1973, and was subsequently assigned to the studio Glashyttan in Åhus.