Tyra Lundgren

Tyra Carolina Lundgren (9 January 1897 – 20 November 1979) was a Swedish painter, ceramist, glass and textile designer, and writer. One of the most versatile artists and modernists of the 20th century, Lundgren was the first woman to design glass for Paolo Venini and emerged as a pioneer of the Swedish Grace style.

Early life and education Tyra Lundgren was born on 9 January 1897 into a family of six children in Stockholm, Sweden. She was the daughter of John Petter Lundgren, a professor at Veterinärinstitutet, and Edith, née Åberg. Growing up in an affluent and socially active family, Lundgren discovered her love for art. She attended Djursholm coeducational school, where she was taught by Natanael and Elsa Beskow, and Alice Tegnérgrew. In 1913, Lundgren joined Högre konstindustriella skolan, where she received lessons on decorative art and handicrafts, and remained at the school for four years. She also simultaneously received painting lessons at Althin, a painting school. She subsequently became a student at the Royal Swedish Academy of Fine Arts in 1917, while also studying under Anton Hanak in Vienna and André Lhote in Paris. She graduated in 1922.

Artistic career Painting career Lundgren spent much of her life travelling, and her stylistic developments have been linked to the periods she spent living in different places across Europe.

Glass and textile designing Lundgren was productive in the field of glass design. She also worked as a textile designer for Licium and for NK's Textilkammare, for which she created 13 models.

Writing career

Lundgren began her writing career by contributing articles to the art journal . Between 1930 and 1940, she wrote for Form and for Svenska hem i ord och bilder. She was among the editors of the magazine Hem i Sverige. She self-published three books- Lera och eld. Ett keramiskt vagabondage i Europa (1946), Fagert i Fide. Årstiderna på en gammal gotlandsgård (1961), and Märta Måås-Fjetterström och väv-verkstaden i Båstad (1968).