Figgjo AS is a Norwegian ceramics manufacturing company based in

Figgjo Figgjo is a borough of the city of Sandnes in the west part of the large municipality of Sandnes in Rogaland county, Norway. The borough is located in the southern part of the city. It has a population (2016) of 2,213. The borough is mostly ru ...

in the municipality of

Sandnes Sandnes () is a city and municipality in Rogaland, Norway. It lies immediately south of Stavanger, the 4th largest city in Norway and together, the Stavanger/Sandnes area is the third-largest urban area in Norway. The urban city of Sandnes lies ...

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and t ...

History

Figgjo was founded by Harald Lima and Sigurd Figved in 1941 as a small-scale pottery workshop. In 1946, designer and ceramist Ragnar Grimsrud (1902-1988) became co-owner and general manager of Figgjo. Grimsrud's design philosophy for the company was "'One must offer 'something for everyone,'" meaning that Figgjo had to offer products for both

Scandinavian design Scandinavian design is a design movement characterized by simplicity, minimalism and functionality that emerged in the early 20th century, and subsequently flourished in the 1950s throughout the five Nordic countries: Denmark, Finland, Norway, Sw ...

enthusiasts and everyday consumers in order to be successful. Following

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, Figgjo expanded into industrial manufacture of earthenware, building a new factory plant that was completed in 1947. The company took its current form in 1968 following the merger of

Stavangerflint AS Stavangerflint AS was an earthenware factory that was in operation from 1949 until 1979 in Stavanger, Norway. Company history Production of pottery tableware for households and for the professional market started in 1949 under the name of ''Sta ...

with Figgjo Fajanse AS. In the 1950s, new decoration techniques for silkscreen printing of patterns and applying colored

slip Slip or SLIP may refer to: Science and technology Biology * Slip (fish), also known as Black Sole * Slip (horticulture), a small cutting of a plant as a specimen or for grafting * Muscle slip, a branching of a muscle, in anatomy Computing and ...

to products made it easier to produce a large portfolio of popular and distinctive designs at scale. However, by the 1960s, the onset of international free trade in

forced Figgjo to change their operational strategy to stay competitive with imports. They scaled back their product offerings to a limited range of new models, adaptable to feature any number of decorations and patterns in different styles, in order to cater to a wide range of markets. From 1956 to 1964, Figgjo collaborated with noted Norwegian freelance designer Hermann Bongard, who produced a number of successful tableware products for the company. Other notable designers who worked for Figgjo include Turi Gramstad Oliver,

Inger Waage Inger Waage, (5 February 1923 – 16 December 1995), was an industrial ceramist at the Norwegian producer of earthenware, Stavangerflint AS. Biography She was born in Stavanger on the West coast of Norway. In 1943 she was accepted as a student ...

, and

Kåre Berven Fjeldsaa Kåre Berven Fjeldsaa (27 November 1918 – 12 January 1992) was a Norwegian ceramic designer. Fjeldsaa was born in Sandnes in the county of Rogaland, Norway. He was educated as a ceramicist at the Norwegian National Academy of Craft and Art Indus ...

. Today, the company has a factory, museum and factory outlet at Figgjo. It specializes in vitrified china for the domestic and professional catering markets. The underglaze backstamps FF, Figgjo Fajanse and Figgjo Flint are found on the company's products. Figgjo is the sole remaining domestic ceramic tableware manufacturer in Norway. In addition, Figgjo tableware from the 1960s and 1970s continues to be highly collectible alongside its more recent offerings, with examples featured in the

decorative arts ] The decorative arts are arts or crafts whose object is the design and manufacture of objects that are both beautiful and functional. It includes most of the arts making objects for the interiors of buildings, and interior design, but not usual ...

collections of the

National Gallery of Victoria The National Gallery of Victoria, popularly known as the NGV, is an art museum in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Founded in 1861, it is Australia's oldest and most visited art museum. The NGV houses an encyclopedic art collection across two ...

and the

Indianapolis Museum of Art The Indianapolis Museum of Art (IMA) is an encyclopedic art museum located at Newfields, a campus that also houses Lilly House, The Virginia B. Fairbanks Art & Nature Park: 100 Acres, the Gardens at Newfields, the Beer Garden, and more. It i ...

Examples of Figgjo ceramics

File:Figgjo sissel line of table service.jpg, Figgjo "Sissel" line of tableware designed by Ragnar Grimsud File:Daisy porcelain from Figgjo Flint.jpg, Figgjo "Daisy" tableware designed by Turi Gramstad Oliver File:Astrid Figgjo Flint Egg Holder.jpg, A photograph of two Figgjo egg holders in the Astrid pattern. File:Figgjo, gretekoppar.jpg, Figgjo "Sissel" line of tableware designed by Ragnar Grimsrud File:Figgjo Lotte Cup and Saucer.jpg, Figgjo "Lotte" design cup and saucer.

References

External links

Figgjo AS official website
Ceramics manufacturers of Norway Norwegian brands Manufacturing companies of Norway {{ceramics-stub