The Vallien family, Kosta Boda and the Robert Weil family foundation institute scholarship in memory of Ulrica Hydman-Vallien.
All activity came to a halt in the Småland hot shops when the news arrived of Ulrica Hydman Vallien’s passing on March 21, 2018. Now, on the anniversary of her death, Kosta Boda has established a foundation in the name of the well-known artist, whose powerful brushstrokes and characteristic design DNA have won the hearts of many in Sweden and internationally.
The Vallien family, Kosta Boda and the Robert Weil Foundation have established a foundation in Ulrica’s memory. A scholarship will be awarded annually to a young, promising artist with uncompromising vision.
Ulrica Hydman Vallien helped to shape Kosta Boda’s production throughout the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s. Her design idiom truly shaped Kosta Boda. In her own words: “Desire, energy and passion – I love and hate them at the same time. I am contrary and committed, all at once. Glass makes everything possible. The material is immediate, intense, demanding and never unassuming. I paint and tell stories on and through the transparent glass. Without rules or frameworks, guided by my own artistic sense and instinct.”
“Ulrica has meant so much to Kosta Boda and the Swedish glass industry. No one could ever assume the mantle of what she did for us. Now the time has come for us to honour her great artistry and works. Ulrica was generous with her knowledge and always supported the young artists who worked in the hot shops. We hope that this foundation will help to keep Ulrica’s artistry alive.” says Kjell-Olof Askencrantz, Marketing Director at Orrefors Kosta Boda.
The first scholarship will be awarded in connection with the launch this autumn of a special collection celebrating Ulrica Hydman Vallien’s work.
For further information, please contact:
Kjell-Olof Askencrantz
Marketing Director
+46 (0)478 345 63
kjell-olof.askencrantz@kostaboda.se
Ulrica Hydman-Vallien
Vitality, vigour, versatility – and down-to-earth creativity
During recent years, Ulrica-Hydman Vallien, the perennially popular Swedish artist, has received any number of commissions, some of them quite spectacular – like decorating Ericsson’s cellular phones or the tail fins of British Airways jets. For many years, she has given proof of her vigorous talents in the visual arts, producing attractive works in a variety of media, including ceramics, textiles and paintings. Her symbolically charged images are today to be found on just about everything from trays and napkins to cushions and postcards, although it is in glass, whether functional or designed for the gallery, that she excels and is at her most expressive. For many years she had made her studio in Åfors, deep in the Småland countryside.
With her robust, calligraphic brushstrokes and unerring sense of colour, Ulrica has become one of the foremost trend-setters of our times. As a person, she is straightforward and down-to-earth, seeking inspiration in her own personal world and choosing motifs from a frankly feminine perspective – children, love, eroticism and friendship are all recurrent themes in her work.
In spite of all the advances in glass technology, which, inevitably, tend to subordinate the designers to the function of the piece, over the last three decades Ulrica has maintained a solid consistency in her artistic approach. Her motifs are personal and private, but their expression is universal. Her artistic pulse beats strong, be it in Australia, Japan, the United States or Mexico.
Press contact
Marketing Director
KJELL-OLOF ASKENKRANTZ
+46 (0)478 345 63
kjell-olof.askencrantz@orrefors.se
Orrefors Kosta Boda AB is a design company in the Swedish province of Småland that designs and makes high-quality utility glassware and art glass. We develop, produce and sell a wide range of utility and art glass for private and public use under the brands Orrefors and Kosta Boda. We are the largest glassworks group in the Nordic countries with a history dating all the way back to 1742.
The glasswork in Kosta constitute the heart of our business. A genuine glasswork environment close to the craftsmanship and the designers. In Kosta we also run extensive tourism and events operations that attract more than one million visitors each year.
Since 2005, Orrefors Kosta Boda AB has been part of New Wave Group, which works with several brands in the consumer and corporate market in the areas of sport, leisure, furnishings and gifts. New Wave Group is listed on the NASDAQ OMX Stockholm exchange.
www.kostaboda.com
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