Teema (Theme), formerly Kilta (Guild)

Kaj Franck

1952/1981

Glazed porcelain

The Israel Museum, Jerusalem

Kaj Franck was a seminal figure in glass and ceramic design in postwar Finland, ranking in importance with peers Tapio Wirkkala and Timo Sarpaneva. Committed to functionalism, Franck reduced his designs to their essential elements. His celebrated mix-and-match Kilta dinnerware, designed in 1952 and put into production from 1953 to 1975, is an undisputed classic. Kilta was revived in 1981, this time microwave-safe and marketed as the Teema collection.