Scandinavia Warms Up

“Five Centuries of Swedish Silver: Treasures From the Röhsska Museum,” which opened February 14 at Scandinavia House, is the first exhibition in this country to explore the history of Swedish silver. It is one of several current museum exhibits that showcases the elegant, spare aesthetic of Scandinavian design, which is also thriving on the fair and auction scenes.The exhibit demonstrates how early the Swedes developed their particularly minimal style. A 17thcentury three-legged pot and cover by Johan Nutzel, for example, are remarkably free of ornate period decoration. “Very early on, some Swedish silversmiths avoided swags and other decorations,” the exhibition curator, Elsebeth Welander-Berggren, who is the former director of the Röhsska Museum in Gothenburg, Sweden, said. During the neoclassical period, some silversmiths turned to wreaths and palmettes. But many resisted: A 1798 cream jug lined in gold is pure form without an ounce of trim.This emphasis on simplicity laid the foundation for the streamlining of 20th-century silver. There’s a c. 1938 cocktail shaker by Count Sigvard Bernadotte (1907–2002), who designed for the Copenhagen firm Georg Jensen. Its sleek cylindrical form is engraved with a diamond motif that is reminiscent of later minimalist décor. Smiths also turned to the organic form. A 1963 cigarette case by Torun Bulow-Hube, with curved corners, appears stylistically related to the designs of Tiffany designer Elsa Peretti.Meanwhile, the Philadelphia Museum of Art offers “Georg Jensen Silversmiths,” an exhibit on view until April 1. It includes 140 examples by Jensen (1866–1935) and his designers, including Johan Rohde, Henning Koppel, and Verner Panton. Koppel’s 1952 pitcher, a curvaceous swirl of silver, is practically sculpture.Although Swedish silver rarely turns up at auction, Georg Jensen’s Danish brand has been receiving considerable attention. At Christie’s, a Koppel tureen with an elongated ovoid shape skipped over its $50,000–$80,000 estimate to sell for $168,000 in January. It was made in 2000 from a design Koppel turned out in 1956.On Madison Avenue, Alastair Crawford trades in antique Jensen privately. “The simplicity of Jensen is what attracts clients to the most collected brand of silver worldwide today,” Mr. Crawford said recently. He’s noticing an increase in clients who are not just assembling flatware and candelabras for dining, but rather are building major collections. Prices have shot up accordingly.Mr. Crawford is offering some examples that are represented in the Philadelphia show. A pair of Henning candelabra that look Rodinesque in style cost $15,000. A single piece of 1945 flatware costs $650. “Five years ago, it would have been $300,” he said.The surge of interest in Scandinavian design isn’t confined to America. The work of a Finnish architect and furniture designer is on view in “Alvar Aalto: Through the Eyes of Shigeru Ban,” at London’s Barbicon Art Gallery until May 13.Design by Finns, Swedes, and Danes is increasingly popular with decorators and architects, too.“Within the past five years, more and more of the decorating crowd has latched on to Aalto and other Scandinavian designers,” Kim Hostler, who heads up the TriBeCa gallery Antik, which specializes in Scandinavian design, said. She cited architects and designers Lee Mindel, Alan Wanzenberg, and David Kleinberg as incorporating such examples into their work.“Every time you open a magazine, there’s some period Scandinavian design, from Aalto to Wegner,” a private dealer in Manhattan, Sarah Latham Kearns, said. This weekend she is participating in the Stella Modern Show at the 69th Regiment Armory. She said she has seen a surge of interest in lighting. A pair of chandeliers with perforated shades will go for more than $25,000. “Twelve years ago, I priced them at $6,000 and people wrinkled their noses,” she said. Other New York dealers carrying Scandinavian design include Drucker Antiques in Mount Kisco, which offers Jensen, and Kenneth Stern and B4 20th Century Design, both offering Danish modern in Manhattan.Clearly, the surge of visibility on the museum scene is playing out in the marketplace. “The market is tightening up and we’re now seeing the same material recycled,” a private dealer in SoHo, Vance Trimble, said. He said the interest of contemporary art world figures — such as dealers Sean Kelly, Per Skarstedt, and Philippe Seaglot — in Danish modern is contributing to the upswing in the market.“Five years ago, Danish modern was almost considered secondhand furniture,” Mr. Trimble said. “Now the market is changing monthly, not yearly.”Scandinavia House exhibit until May 8 (58 Park Ave. at 38th Street, 212-879-9779).

Scandinavia Warms Up

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