Provenance Architect Axel Larsson

Bukowskis presents the online auction Provenance Architect Axel Larsson, a personal collection of furniture and art from the eminent furniture architect Axel Larsson – a collection preserved by his recently passed away daughter. Axel Larsson's design and interior work has left a lasting imprint. His numerous characteristic classics still contribute to our perception of the design and aesthetics of the Swedish ’Folkhemmet’.

Axel Larsson was born in 1898 in Torps parish, Medelpad, and passed away in 1975. He was a prominent furniture designer with a career spanning over 50 years. At the age of 25, he was employed at the Swedish Furniture Factories in Bodafors at the Stockholm office, where he worked for three decades. Larsson made his significant debut at the Stockholm Exhibition in 1930, where he presented his first furniture series. Series furniture and standardized models became Larsson's major success in Bodafors. The democratic design ideals of the welfare state era influenced Larsson's career at the factory. Concurrently, Larsson designed exclusive and unique furniture for the Stockholm Craftsmen's Association.

Between 1956 and 1975, Axel Larsson founded and operated his own business while continuing to work for the Swedish Furniture Factories in Bodafors. During this period, he also designed furniture for other prominent companies, such as Balzar Beskow AB. An example is Balzar Beskow's model chair S-312, which is still manufactured by the company today.

Larsson's significant career was primarily characterized by his ability to prioritize function over excessive extravagance. In addition to designing countless pieces of furniture, he undertook many significant interior design commissions. Among these are notable projects like the Gothenburg Concert Hall, Park Avenue Hotel in Gothenburg, and the Folksam Building at Skanstull in Stockholm. Many of his sketches and drawings are preserved at the Design Archive at Pukeberg Glassworks. He is also represented in institutions such as the National Museum in Stockholm.

Larsson is considered by many to be one of the foremost furniture designers of the Swedish welfare state era, and his pioneering work in design and interior decoration has left a lasting impact. His many iconic classics still contribute to how we perceive the design and aesthetics of the welfare state era today.