Berndt Friberg was a Swedish ceramicist who joined Gustavsberg relatively late in life, after two decades of training in local workshops, and went on to develop a uniquely independent position within the studio. Unlike most of his contemporaries, he combined the roles of master thrower and glaze specialist, producing vessels entirely by his own hand and rejecting the division of labour that characterised factory practice. This insistence on personal authorship shaped a body of work remarkable for its technical control and artistic coherence.
Friberg cultivated a wide formal range, from meticulously worked miniatures to monumental floor vases, each characterized by carefully considered proportions and delicate transitions between volume and edge. Deeply inspired by Chinese Song dynasty stoneware and Japanese ceramics, he translated these influences into a Scandinavian vocabulary, developing glazes of exceptional subtlety and variation. Among his most celebrated achievements is the “hare’s fur” effect, a layered iron glaze producing fine streaks reminiscent of animal fur, alongside monochrome glazes of profound depth and tonal modulation.
His perfectionism was legendary: pieces deemed unsatisfactory were destroyed, ensuring that surviving examples are both rare and of exceptional quality. Friberg’s work gained recognition through exhibitions in Stockholm and internationally, winning gold medals at successive Milan Triennales, the Gregor Paulsson Trophy in 1960, and First Prize at the Faenza International Ceramic Competition in 1965. In 1980 he was awarded the Prince Eugen Medal, Sweden’s highest distinction for artistic achievement.
Today, Friberg’s works are held in major collections, including the Nationalmuseum in Stockholm, the National Museum of Denmark in Copenhagen, and museums in New York, Kyoto, and Tokyo. Until his death in 1981, he remained dedicated to a practice that fused Scandinavian restraint with an almost meditative pursuit of perfection, leaving a legacy that continues to influence contemporary studio ceramics.
