Josef Frank

Freedom, color, and form. Josef Frank’s organic design language and artistic style ideals make him one of Sweden’s greatest designers of all time. The museum’s collection includes several objects bearing his unmistakable signature.

Josef Frank (1885-1967) grew up in Vienna in a Jewish family, with a father who was a textile merchant and a mother who was an artist, creating textile patterns among other things. He trained as an architect at the Technical University of Vienna in the early 20th century and also spent much time in Northern Italy, where he studied Italian Renaissance art.

He drew inspiration from around the world and advocated for a design characterized by freedom – balancing the power of imagination with the organic forms of nature.

Organic shapes and vibrant patterns.

In 1925, Frank started an interior design firm, Haus und Garten, together with architect Oscar Wlach. He married Swedish Anna Sebenius, and the couple moved to Sweden when Nazism took root in Austria. In Sweden, he began collaborating with the founder of Svenskt Tenn, Estrid Ericson, with whom he had previously corresponded.

Josef Frank (1885 – 1967), chair in lacquered wood and bamboo, Svenskt Tenn AB, 1925.

At Svenskt Tenn, he primarily designed fabrics, interiors, and various types of furniture. In reaction to the more puritanical and schematic forms of modernism, he created flowing and vibrant patterns. He drew inspiration from around the world and advocated for a design characterized by freedom – balancing the power of imagination with the organic forms of nature.

You can find more works by Josef Frank in our digital collections.