Loja Saarinen

Loja Saarinen (March 15, 1879 – April 21, 1968) was a Finnish-American textile artist and sculptor who founded the weaving department at the Cranbrook Academy of Art in Michigan. She also led her own studio, the Studio Loja Saarinen, which designed many of the textiles used in buildings designed by her husband, the architect Eliel Saarinen.[1][2][3]

Loja Saarinen
Born
Minna Carolina Mathilde Louise Gesellius

(1879-03-15)March 15, 1879
Helsinki, Grand Duchy of Finland, Russian Empire
DiedApril 21, 1968(1968-04-21) (aged 89)
Known forTextile art, weaving, sculpture
SpouseEliel Saarinen
ChildrenEero Saarinen
Pipsan Saarinen Swanson

Background

Minna Carolina Mathilde Louise "Loja" Gesellius was born March 16, 1879, in Helsinki, Finland, and studied art at the Helsinki University of Art and Design (1898–99) and Drawing School of the Finnish Art Association (1899–1902), and sculpture under Jean Antoine Injalbert at the Académie Colarossi in Paris.[4]

Career

Loja Saarinen started her career in 1928 when she founded one of the most productive weaving departments in the United States at the Cranbrook Educational Community. Saarinen was heavily influenced by Swedish craft tradition. She was one of the first artists to bring Scandinavian design to America. Her most substantial work was for Kingswood School where her studio designed tapestries, rugs, curtains, and upholstery.[1]

Saarinen's work is characterized by simple geometric designs in subtle light and dark contrasts, with a frequent use of complementary colors.[1]

One-Person Exhibitions:

References
  1. Bentley, Jeanie Huntley; Helms, Cynthia Newman; Rospond, Mary Chris (1989). Artists in Michigan, 1900-1976: A Biographical Dictionary. Detroit: Wayne State University Press, in association with the Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution, and the Founders Society Detroit Institute of Arts. pp. 201–202. ISBN 0814319076.
  2. "Saarinen, Loja (1879–1968) - Dictionary definition of Saarinen, Loja (1879–1968) | Encyclopedia.com: FREE online dictionary". www.encyclopedia.com. Retrieved March 13, 2018.
  3. "Famous Finnish Family to Exhibit Works of Art in Norfolk". Norfolk Virginian-Pilot. Norfolk, VA. January 31, 1937. p. 30. Retrieved September 8, 2022 – via Newspapers.com. open access
  4. "Saarinen Family Papers finding aid" (PDF). Cranbrook Archives. Retrieved March 13, 2018.
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