Photography courtesy of R & COMPANY
WHETHER WORKING IN INDUSTRIAL DESIGN, interior design or architecture, Greta Grossman of Sweden used her mastery of technical drawing to bring her original works to life. Today she is known as a pioneer of American modernism, thanks to her unique approach to merging European design with California modernism.
Prior to receiving a scholarship to the acclaimed arts institution, Högre Konstindustriella Skolan (known today as Konstfack), Grossman (then Magnusson) had already completed a year-long woodworking apprenticeship. Her career started off on a high note when in 1933 Grossman became the first woman to receive an award for furniture design from the Stockholm Craft Association by claiming second place.
Grossman went on to travel throughout Europe on the scholarship of the Swedish Society of Industrial Design and in 1933 opened Studio, a store and workshop, in Stockholm with a classmate. Commissions poured in and Grossman regularly exhibited her work to high acclaim.