Vicke Lindstrand (1904-1983) Swedish, Kosta Boda Blue and Green Art Glass Vase. Handblown. Marked "Kosta" with the numbers "41 1587" on underside. 

Size: 3 3/4 x 2 1/4 x 5 1/4 in. 

Victor Emanuel Lindstrand, known professionally as Vicke Lindstrand, was born on November 27th, 1904 in Gothenburg, Sweden. As a child he was interested in drawing, and studied commercial art in school and worked in commercial illustration before beginning his career at the glass manufacturer Orrefors in 1928. He made his debut as a designer at the Stockholm World Fair in 1930, where he presented twelve glass vases with enamel decor in exotic patterns. For this he received great attention from international design publications, and he began to focus on engraved glass and Graal glass vases. He pioneered more daring art glass designs at Orrefors and together with Edvin Öhrström and Knut Bergqvist he invented the Ariel technique. Two of his biggest successes were art competitions he organized for the 1932 and 1936 Summer Olympics, where he also showcased his personal textile work. Orrefors could not afford to keep Lindstrand during World War II, and between 1943 and 1950 he became the creative leader at Uppsala Ekeby, where he designed many different stoneware objects ranging from ceramic pots to figural sculptures. In 1950 he joined Kosta Glasbruk as an artistic director and ultimately the dominant designer, remaining there for over twenty years before his retirement in 1973. He spent the last 10 years of his life as a freelance artist working with Hanne Dreutler and Arthur Zirrnsack at Studio Glashyttan in Åhus, and passed away on May 7th, 1983, mourned by the nation as one of their foremost pioneers in Swedish glass art.