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Gunilla Palmstierna-Weiss

1928 – 2022

Swedish writer, ceramist, sculptor and costume designer

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About Gunilla Palmstierna-Weiss

Lived 1928 – 2022 (aged 94). Gunilla Palmstierna-Weiss was a Swedish writer, ceramicist, sculptor, costume designer, scenographer and theatre designer.

Gunilla Palmstierna-Weiss (28 March 1928 – 20 November 2022) was a Swedish costume designer, scenic designer, sculptor, ceramist, and actress. She won the 1966 Tony Award for Best Costume Design for her work on Peter Weiss's Marat/Sade. She has designed sets and costumes for numerous theaters internationally, including the Royal Shakespeare Company and the Royal Swedish Opera. From 1966 to 1989, she worked regularly as a set and costume designer for Ingmar Bergman. Palmstierna-Weiss grew up in the Netherlands and Austria. Her parents, Kule Palmstierna and Vera Herzog, worked as physicians, and her grandfather, Erik Palmstierna, was foreign minister in Sweden's first social democratic government.

Palmstierna-Weiss began her career as a ceramist in the late 1940s and 1950s. She began a romantic relationship with Weiss after the end of her first marriage, and that relationship led to a new artistic interest initially in acting and then scenic and costume design where her artistic focus ultimately settled. She appeared as an actress in several of Weiss's early experimental films. She won a Tony Award in 1966 for her costume designs in Weiss's Marat/Sade, which were later used in the 1967 film version directed by Peter Brook.

In 2009, she was awarded the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany.

Palmstierna-Weiss died in Stockholm on 20 November 2022, at the age of 94.

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Important facts

Birth century
Nationality
Education
Konstfack
Awards
Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany; Tony Award for Best Costume Design; Professor

Family & relationships

Spouse
Peter Weiss

People in Gunilla Palmstierna-Weiss's life

Named in this biography and alive at the same time

Contemporaries

People whose lives overlapped Gunilla Palmstierna-Weiss's

Frequently asked questions

Who was Gunilla Palmstierna-Weiss?

Swedish writer, ceramist, sculptor and costume designer (1928–2022)

When was Gunilla Palmstierna-Weiss born?

Gunilla Palmstierna-Weiss was born on 28 March 1928 in Lausanne.

When did Gunilla Palmstierna-Weiss die?

Gunilla Palmstierna-Weiss died on 20 November 2022 in Stockholm.

What was Gunilla Palmstierna-Weiss's occupation?

Gunilla Palmstierna-Weiss was a writer, ceramicist, sculptor, costume designer, scenographer and theatre designer.

What nationality was Gunilla Palmstierna-Weiss?

Gunilla Palmstierna-Weiss was Swedish.

Sources & further reading

· Wikipedia: Gunilla Palmstierna-Weiss

· Wikidata: Q1554690

· DBpedia: Gunilla Palmstierna-Weiss

Cite this page

APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Gunilla Palmstierna-Weiss. https://biography.guide/gunilla-palmstierna-weiss/

MLA: "Gunilla Palmstierna-Weiss." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/gunilla-palmstierna-weiss/.

Chicago: "Gunilla Palmstierna-Weiss." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/gunilla-palmstierna-weiss/.

Data last updated: 2026-09-20 · Spot an error? Report a correction.

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