Erik Höglund (1932-1998) was born in the coastal city of Karlskrona in the south of Sweden. When Erik was 16, he began his art education at the Swedish School of Arts, Crafts and Design in Stockholm. In 1953, the director of the Boda glassworks, Erik Rosén, sent a request to the art school for a young glass designer. Erik Höglund took the chance, even though he had very little experience with glass. He wanted to learn as quickly as possible, and he learned to blow and grind glass at night. Erik Höglund developed his own distinctive style in the 1950s. The shapes were simple and primordial, often inspired by primitive culture and folksy glass art.
In 1957, Höglund received what was perhaps the most prestigious design award in the world, the Danish Lunning Prize. After 10 years at Boda, Erik Höglund had found an international audience. In the 1950’s, Erik started to combine glass and forged iron in his designs. And in the 1960’s, he started designing objects made of other materials.
Erik Höglund left Boda after 20 years in 1973 to start his own smithery. Erik Höglund returned to glass design in the 1980’s. This time, he worked for smaller glassworks in Sweden like Pukeberg, Transjö, Åhus, and Vrigstad. Erik Högund’s health deteriorated in the 1980’s and 1990’s but he kept working as an artist until his death in 1998.
