Gunnar Cyrén (1931–2013) was a Swedish glass artist, silversmith, and industrial designer. He studied in the metal department at one of Sweden's most prestigious art and design universities.
In 1959, Cyrén was hired at Orrefors glassworks and became head of design ten years later. His major works for Orrefors include the Pop Glass collection from the 60s and the stemware in the Nobel set, which he designed for the Nobel Banquet in 1991. The Nobel collection is used at the annual banquet in Stockholm City Hall to this day and is still available in Orrefors’ assortment. His work was exhibited many times during his career at Heller Gallery in New York City.
Gunnar Cyrén received numerous distinctions, including the Prince Eugen Medal from King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden, the Swedish Royal Scholarship, and the Lunning Prize. In 1992, he was also awarded the title of professor by the Swedish government.
The story behind this Dansk piece is actually a fashion one: Gunnar Cyrén, an award-winning Swedish designer responsible for some of the world’s most coveted flatware, would’ve never worked with Dansk if he hadn’t walked into a Parisian hotel wearing his worst corduroy suit.
Days prior to arriving at the hotel, sometime during the summer of 1969, Gunnar was in the midst of a family vacation in Sweden’s Skåne county when the phone rang. On the other line was Dansk founder Ted Nierenberg—again.
For years, Ted had courted Gunnar, writing letters and making calls begging him to entertain the idea of working together. Gunnar, a lauded glassblower, silversmith, and rising star in Scandinavian design, always declined.
But on that day, Gunnar ran out of excuses—prompting him to travel to Paris to meet the American businessman. And as soon as he arrived, he knew he’d made a terrible mistake.
The hotel where they were meeting turned out to be one of Europe’s fanciest—the sort of place where his suit would make him stand out—and not in a good way. When Ted arrived dressed to match the location, Gunnar became certain: This was never meant to be.
After a quick introduction, the two men agreed to quickly check into their rooms and then meet back downstairs. Flustered, Gunnar tidied his outfit to the best of his abilities then headed to the lobby. Minutes later, Ted reappeared in an outfit looser and more casual than Gunnar’s corduroy catastrophe.
Ted’s quick change floored Gunnar and, per his autobiography, is what ultimately convinced him to work for Dansk, which he did for the next six years, creating over 300 original designs from 1970 to 1976.
Gunnar Cyrén’s animal world is one of his best works. The silversmith who became one of his country’s foremost glass designers with the Nobel tableware and crystal as masterpieces, designed hundreds of tabletop objects in various materials – this designer also gave form to a fauna with eternal life. It all started in the late 1970s in connection with a large silver exhibition. Gunnar was asked to make a series of animals for the World Wildlife Foundation. One at a time the different animal shapes stepped forward, all sprung from a square base. Various producers were involved and the animals were found in silver-plated metal, porcelain, and crystal over time.
Many of Gunnar Cyrén’s animals start from a square base from which he allowed the figure to grow out into their forged characteristics. They are all stylized bodies that have been given definite edges as if they were carved from a marble rock or carved with a knife from a piece of wood. Strong, still, silent and at the same time unwaveringly expressive, captured in the moment and at once embodying the essence of their species.
