Greta Magnusson Grossman, USA, 1941
This kidney-shaped sofa was created by Greta Magnusson Grossman in Sweden and redesigned between 1941 and 1942 for Barker Brothers in Los Angeles. She still favored the curved lines of her Swedish production, but this sofa also reveals a possible influence of Hollywood Regency furniture, which comes as no surprise since Grossman very quickly became a part of the Golden Era scene. With a showroom on North Rodeo Drive inaugurated in 1941, she attracted celebrity clients such as Greta Garbo, Joan Fontaine, and Gracie Allen. The present model was acquired from a family estate in San Angelo, Texas.
Curved sofa in ivory bouclé upholstery with button tufted backrest. Designed by Greta Magnusson Grossman for Barker Brothers, Los Angeles, 1941-42. Upholstered with "Pebble Wool" fabric in Eggshell, designed by Maharam.
88" L x 40" W x 26" H
223.5 cm L x 101.6 cm W x 66 cm H
CO666
More from Greta Magnusson Grossman
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Greta Magnusson Grossman, USA, 1950
Walnut and black laminate with iron legs. Designed and made by Greta Magnusson Grossman, USA, 1950.
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Greta Magnusson Grossman, USA, 1948
Task lamp in aluminum and brass; original black paint in excellent condition for Ralph O. Smith, Burbank, California. Pair available.
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Greta Magnusson Grossman, USA, 1952
Set of six (6) "Good Design" dining chairs in solid walnut with striped upholstery. Designed by Greta Magnusson Grossman for Glenn of California, Los Angeles, 1952.
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Greta Magnusson Grossman, USA
Wooden bookcase in birch designed by Greta Magnusson Grossman. Rare early example of her work; originally purchased in 1935 from her store Studio in Stockholm, Sweden.
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Greta Magnusson Grossman, USA, 1949
This wall or ceiling version of Greta Magnusson Grossman’s famous Cobra lamp was made by Ralph O. Smith and initially sold at Barker Brothers. With the success of Grossman’s designs, however, the father-and-son team based in Burbank grew to be a retailer in its own right. The lamp was then advertised as a direct partnership between Ralph O. Smith Modern Lamps and Fixtures, and Magnusson Grossman Design. Originally called Fixture No. 905, this model Cobra could be swiveled to a vertical position for indirect light or to light wall works, or turned downwards to serve as a desk light.
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"Cobra" wall-mounted lamp in aluminum and steel, original paint in excellent condition. Designed for Ralph O. Smith. -
Greta Magnusson Grossman
Greta Magnusson Grossman maintained a prolific forty-year career on two continents, Europe and North America, with achievements in industrial design, interior design, and architecture. Although it was not as frequently exhibited in Good Design exhibitions in the 1950s as her Cobra table lamp, Magnusson Grossman’s Grasshopper floor lamp has become over time one of the most famous lights of midcentury modern design. This example in coral pink dates to the first years of production by Ralph O. Smith, the tiny Californian midcentury lighting manufactory, and allegedly belonged to Andy Warhol.
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R & Company represents the Estate of Greta Magnusson Grossman and, over the past decade, has placed more than a half dozen Grasshopper lamps in American museum collections.
"Grasshopper" floor lamp in enameled aluminum and steel with original coral paint.
Designed by Greta Magnusson Grossman for Ralph O. Smith, Burbank, California, 1947-48.
14" L x 14" W x 48" H
FL272 -
Greta Magnusson Grossman, Sweden, c. 1950
"Grasshopper" floor lamp. Designed by Greta Grossman, Sweden, 1947. Produced by Bergboms & Co., Malmo, Sweden, ca. 1953.
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Greta Magnusson Grossman, USA, 1952
The same year that Greta Magnusson Grossman won the Museum of Modern Art’s “Good Design” designation in 1952 for the chair she designed for Glenn of California, she developed a comprehensive collection called the “62 Series” for the company, so named because Glenn’s founder and owner Bob Baron felt it was ten years ahead of its time. The prolific designer additionally created this line of dressers for the company, in which the feet structure gives lightness and dynamism to the piece. At the same time, the drawer knobs provide a modern twist.
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Double dresser with eight drawers in walnut on wrought iron legs. Designed by Greta Magnusson Grossman for Glenn of California, Los Angeles, 1952.