Sarcey

1871·Woodburytype, from the periodical “Galerie Contemporaine Littéraire, Artistique” (1877), volume 2·Image/paper: 23 × 18.5 cm (9 1/16 × 7 5/16 in.); Mount: 34.2 × 26.2 cm (13 1/2 × 10 3/8 in.)

Photography Gallery Fund

Catalogue

Year: 1871
Medium: Woodburytype, from the periodical “Galerie Contemporaine Littéraire, Artistique” (1877), volume 2
Dimensions: Image/paper: 23 × 18.5 cm (9 1/16 × 7 5/16 in.); Mount: 34.2 × 26.2 cm (13 1/2 × 10 3/8 in.)
Collection: Art Institute of Chicago
Artist: Kaj Franck

Artist

Kaj Franck

Kaj Franck was a Finnish designer and ceramicist whose austere, functionalist tableware and vessels defined postwar Scandinavian modernism. Working primarily in glazed stoneware and porcelain, he stripped ornament entirely in favor of clean geometric forms and matte surfaces that emphasized material and craft. His work for the Arabia factory established a design language centered on utility and restraint that influenced domestic ceramics across Northern Europe. Franck's approach rejected both applied decoration and industrial anonymity, positioning handmade ceramics as a bridge between industrial production and human use.

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