Hertha Hillfon

ARTIST

Art at the Plaza

The Artist – Hertha Hillfon

Hertha Maria Lillemor Hillfon, née Forsberg, born in Ångermanland in 1921, was one of Sweden’s foremost ceramicists and sculptors of the 20th century. The fourth of fourteen siblings, she moved to Stockholm in 1933. She began her artistic career at Edvin Ollers’ painting school and then Edward Berggren’s, before studying at Konstfack from 1953 to 1957.

Artistic style

Hillfon was a pioneer of free-form ceramic sculpture in Sweden and broke away from traditional, utilitarian forms. Her debut at the exhibition Form i centrum 1958 and her first solo exhibition at Galleri Artek in 1959 were met with great acclaim for her expressive and often bold ceramic works.
She worked on an impressive scale and used up to two tonnes of clay per year. Her motifs ranged from abstract and monumental sculptures to smaller everyday objects – bread, clothes, household utensils – always with a distinct sculptural sensibility.

Notable works

Hillfon gained wide recognition both through galleries and public commissions, including:
A large wall relief (22 segments) for Operaterassen in Stockholm (1970), where her characteristic motif of sensual lips became something of a hallmark.
Numerous public artworks throughout Sweden, including ceramic and bronze pieces at Hotel Elite Park Avenue in Gothenburg, "Daughter of the Wind" in Berwaldhallen, Musa at Sölvesborg Library, artworks in Örebro Concert Hall and at Danderyd Hospital underground station.
Several bronze sculptures of Astrid Lindgren, installed outside Junibacken, Filmstaden and Astrid Lindgren Children’s Hospital.

Legacy & recognition

During her career, Hillfon received several distinctions, including the Lunning Prize (1962), election to the Royal Academy of Fine Arts (1971), the title of Professor (1993) and a state income guarantee for artists (1995).

Her works have been exhibited internationally in cities including New York, Montreal, Osaka and Milan, and her artistic practice continues to be recognised and celebrated after her passing.

Hertha Hillfon is remembered as a bold innovator who brought together the intimate and the monumental – and who transformed clay into a powerful means of expression.