Press release April 2011 – The Berg story

A SHORT BACKGROUND ARTICLE ON SELECTED DESIGN ITEMS FROM THE DESIGNER GERHARD BERG (NORWAY)
PRESS RELEASE – April 2011

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Sometimes when a designer turns older it is time to commemorate some of his present achievements and works. One of our designers, Gerhard Berg, was born in 1927. He is still a very much alive, vital and happy man, and almost every week he calls us or comes to visit the Northern Lighting head office.

I asked Gerhard some months ago to collect a few of his previous product designs from his old archives, both out of pure curiosity and from a preservation perspective. He then went straight to the job, and now I have received a large number of old illustrations and texts from him. Some of the photos are not of perfect quality, but still – I was so happy there are still images out there available of his works.

As so many Norwegian post war designers, his workshave never fully been gathered into a book or a portfolio collection. Here at least are some highlights and some items which I think are truly amazing. I dare say also that this short introduction to his works in no way goes in depth and does not give more than some small tastes. But, at least, – have a look. I hope you enjoy as much as I did!

Feel free to use this material in articles, features or off- or online library collections of Scandinavian design. Contact us if you have any questions or comments on contact@northernlighting.no.

- Ove Rogne, Head of Design in Northern Lighting

About the designer Gerhard Berg
Introduction text by Vidar Halén, The National Museum, Oslo, Norway

Gerhard Berg (born 1927) is one of the most prominent designers and interior architects of the post–war period in Scandinavia. Educated at SHKS (Norway) under Arne Korsmo, Gerhard Berg distinguished himself as a pioneer. After his studies he started working for Ingemar Relling, another leading Norwegian post–war furniture designer. Relling soon identified his talent and recommended him for the producer Vatne Lenestolfabrikk, where Berg later designed several of the best sellers of this producer. Later, he also worked for a number of different Norwegian producers, such as Arnestad Bruk A/S, Hareid Bruk A/S and Stokke.

He was among the first in Norway to shape a chair shell in glass fibre armed polyester, and in this way he took part in the introduction of the so called organic modernism in the nineteen fifties. In 1959, he began working with Mathew Cooper, who during the 1960s, sold his models for Hareid Bruk in his store Furniture International on Fifth Avenue in New York.