Anna Petrus

1886 - 1949

Anna Petrus (1886–1949) was a trailblazer in Swedish industrial design and one of the most influential figures in early 20th-century Nordic decorative arts. She made her breakthrough at the Baltic Exhibition in Malmö in 1914, where her talent as a sculptor and designer was first recognized.

In 1920, tragedy struck when almost all of her sculptures were destroyed in a fire at her studio in Östermalm, Stockholm. Seeking new inspiration, Petrus traveled through Italy and North Africa, where she was captivated by North African craft traditions. Upon returning to Sweden, she began designing ornamental trays and tabletops in pewter, copper, and brass, often mounted on finely crafted stands. These trays were richly decorated with allegorical motifs and presented in 1922 at her studio on Riddargatan, Stockholm. Some table constructions were created in collaboration with the architect Uno Åhrén, while others were designed by Petrus herself. Her work gained wider attention at the Gothenburg Jubilee Exhibition in 1923.

At the time, pewter was considered an outdated and unrefined material, but Petrus transformed it into a medium for modern design. She became a driving force in Svenskt Tenn, founded in 1924, for which she designed vases, candlesticks, sculptures, and decorative objects. The lion motif became her signature design and was widely used in Svenskt Tenn’s collections. She also developed a fruitful collaboration with Näfveqvarn Bruk, contributing to Sweden’s industrial art heritage.

Among her most notable public works are the ornamented cast-iron pillars for the Swedish Pavilion entrance at the 1925 Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes in Paris (the Paris Exhibition that defined Art Deco), and the Art Deco fireplace in the smoking lounge of the ocean liner M/S Kungsholm (1928). That same year, together with Uno Åhrén, she submitted a proposal for the redesign of Hoglands Park in Karlskrona, where Petrus envisioned a monumental artwork titled Vindarnas Brunn (“The Fountain of the Winds”). However, the project was never realized.

Despite her success, Anna Petrus ended her career as an artist and designer prematurely in 1930. Today, her works are represented in Sweden’s most prestigious museums, including the Nationalmuseum and Moderna Museet in Stockholm, as well as the Röhsska Museum in Gothenburg.