When creating The Discreet Charm tea set for Svenskt Tenn, artist Mamma Andersson thought about the kind of set she herself would like to have. The set is a nod to Japan and the inspiration comes from Mamma Andersson’s own passion for woodcuts. It resulted in a teacup, saucers and teapot with soft, round shapes in muted colours with a black ink pattern. The name “The Discreet Charm” comes from the title of Luis Bunuel’s 1972 film, The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie. It’s a reference to, among other things, the artist’s own relationship to bourgeoisie traditions, for better or worse.
Designer
Mamma Andersson
Karin Mamma Andersson was born in Luleå, Sweden in 1962 and she studied at the University College of Arts, Crafts and Design in Stockholm from 1986 – 1993. Today she is one of Sweden’s most renowned artists internationally. She represented Sweden at the Venice Biennale in 2003 and in 2018 she curated an exhibition at the São Paulo Art Biennial in Brazil. Karin Mamma Andersson’s artworks have been exhibited in a number of galleries and museums around the world and are part of the collections at MoMa in New York, MoCA in Los Angeles, National Museum in Oslo and Moderna Museet in Stockholm, among others.
In 2021 she also showed her art in the Humdrum Days exhibition at the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art in Denmark. Read more