Åke Holm

Acquired directly from the artist in connection with his last retrospective exhibition 'Åke Holm - 50 years as ceramicist' in 1980. A glazed version was shown at the exhibition which was still ongoing when Åke Holm died on 13 June 1980.

Åke Holm was a Swedish ceramicist and sculptor active in Höganäs. He began at Höganäsbolaget in 1915 after working for a year at Andersson & Johansson in Höganäs. At Höganäsbolaget, Holm learned the craft of firing and glazes and he also assisted the designer Edgar Böckman. In 1928, Åke Holm started his own studio. He first became known for the so-called Kullatrolls, which were sold as souvenirs in about fifty different models. During the 1930s, Holm created his first artworks featuring biblical figures in terracotta and continued in the 1940s with glazed stoneware figures. Holm also produced animal figures, and the forms became increasingly stylised; he also created decorative and utilitarian wares such as pots, plates, and bowls in various glazes. During the 1950s and 60s, he produced monumental sculptures with biblical themes that continued to dominate his work. Holm often used black glaze that appeared like iron. The figures became increasingly sculptural, stylised, and almost abstract.