Gertrud Vasegaard
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Gertrud Vasegaard, née Hjorth, (1913–2007) was a Danish ceramist, remembered above all for her
tea set Pink Floyd are an English rock band formed in London in 1965. Gaining an early following as one of the first British psychedelic groups, they were distinguished by their extended compositions, sonic experimentation, philosophical lyrics and ...
(1956) which was included in the Danish Culture Canon. A designer for Bing & Grøndahl and Royal Copenhagen, she also had her own workshop where she collaborated with her daughter Myre.


Early life and family

Vasegaard was the granddaughter of Lauritz Hjorth, who in 1859 founded the Bornholm pottery factory in Rønne, and the daughter of Hans Hjorth, who later managed it together with his brother Peter. Johanne Tvede Bruhn, her mother, was a painter. After leaving school in 1927, she began decorating the brown, unglazed pottery produced by the factory. In 1930, she studied in the ceramics department of the Arts and Crafts School which had just opened in Copenhagen. In parallel, she furthered her education by working with the ceramist
Christian Poulsen Christian Bjørnshøj Poulsen (born 28 February 1980) is a Danish former footballer. After starting his career with Holbæk, he played for a number of European clubs as a defensive midfielder, winning the Danish Superliga championship with F. ...
(1911–1991) and with Arne Bang (1901–1983) at the
Holmegaard Glass Factory Holmegaard Glass Factory ( da, Holmegaards Glasværk) is a glass factory located in the former municipality of Holmegaard just outside Næstved. History The home of Holmegaard Glassworks is located in the town of Fensmark, Holmegaard. The compa ...
. Two years later she left the school to become an apprentice at the new workshop run by Axel Salto (1889-1961) and
Bode Willumsen Bode may refer to: People * Bode (surname) * Bode Miller (born 1977), American skier * Bode Sowande (born 1948), Nigerian writer and dramatist * Bode Thomas (1918–1953), Nigerian politician Geography * Böde, village in Zala County, Hungar ...
(1895–1987)."Gertrud Vasegaard (1913–2007)"
''Dansk Kvindebiografist Leksikon''. Retrieved 25 January 2013.


Career

In 1933, Vasegaard returned to
Bornholm Bornholm () is a Danish island in the Baltic Sea, to the east of the rest of Denmark, south of Sweden, northeast of Germany and north of Poland. Strategically located, Bornholm has been fought over for centuries. It has usually been ruled by ...
where she opened a studio in Gudhjem together with her sister
Lisbeth Lisbeth or Lizbeth is a feminine given name, a variant of Elisabeth. It may be: Notable people * Lisbeth Grönfeldt Bergman (born 1948), Swedish politician of the Moderate Party * Lisbeth Holand (born 1946), Norwegian politician of the Social ...
. They produced pottery and ceramics, exhibiting in Copenhagen the same year. In 1938, Vasegaard moved to Holkadalen near Gudhjem with her husband Sigurd (whom she had married in 1935) and her daughter Myre. Here she produced
earthenware Earthenware is glazed or unglazed nonvitreous pottery that has normally been fired below . Basic earthenware, often called terracotta, absorbs liquids such as water. However, earthenware can be made impervious to liquids by coating it with a ce ...
mugs and bowls with an ornamental look which was to form the basis of her later work with stoneware. In 1945, on the initiative of Aksel Rode and as a result of the difficulty of obtaining supplies after the war, she began working for Bing & Grøndahl during the winter, returning to her Bornholm workshop for the rest of the year. In 1949, she became a full-time employee of the factory where she remained for the next 10 years, specializing in stoneware. It soon became one of the firm's most successful products, opening up a new era for Danish design. Her preferred finishes were light green, clear off-white, light blue and jade. Of particular note is her tea set (1956) with a hexagonal teapot and cups without handles, perfectly adapted to industrial production. Her three porcelain
dinner set Dinner usually refers to what is in many Western cultures the largest and most formal meal of the day, which is eaten in the evening. Historically, the largest meal used to be eaten around midday, and called dinner. Especially among the elite, ...
s (1961–1975) which she designed for Royal Copenhagen were also successful. The ''Capella'' set was undecorated, ''Gemina'' had a blue decoration without glaze while ''Gemma'' had a stamped decoration."Gertrud Vasegaard"
''Dansk Bibliografisk Leksikon''. Retrieved 25 January 2013.
At the end of 1958, she left Bing & Grøndahl and, together with Rode (whom she married in 1961) and her daughter, set up a new workshop in Frederiksberg. Years of fruitful collaboration followed, especially between mother and daughter who worked alone from 1969. Vasegaard's mugs, bowls and covered dishes with geometrical patterns were not only popular in Denmark but became internationally recognized.


Style

Vasegaard's functional stoneware bowls and vases are lightly coloured and simply decorated with restrained patterns such as stripes and checks or rows of stepped lines."Gertrud Vasegaard at Galerie Besson"
Crafts Magazine, September 2011. Retrieved 25 January 2013.
Many of her items are large simply-designed pieces, frequently unglazed, with geometrical decorations where a few brush-strokes emphasize the form. In this way, her stoneware achieved a unique level of strength and sensitivity in Danish ceramics.


Awards

Vasegaard was awarded a gold medal at the Milan Triennale in 1957, the Eckersberg Medal in 1963, the ''Kunsthåndværkerrådets Årspris'' (annual prize for arts and crafts) in 1979, the Thorvald Bindesbøll Medal and the Swedish Prince Eugen Medal in 1981, and the
C. F. Hansen Medal The C. F. Hansen Medal (Danish: C. F. Hansens Medaille) is awarded annually with few exceptions to one or more recipients by the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts for an outstanding contribution to architecture. It is the Academy's highest obtainabl ...
in 1992.


References


External links


Illustrated summary from Skoletjenesten
{{DEFAULTSORT:Vasegaard, Gertrud 20th-century Danish ceramists Danish designers Danish women designers Danish women ceramists Danish women artisans 1913 births 2007 deaths People from Bornholm Recipients of the Eckersberg Medal Recipients of the Prince Eugen Medal Recipients of the C.F. Hansen Medal Recipients of the Thorvald Bindesbøll Medal 20th-century ceramists