Grete Prytz Kittelsen

Grete Prytz Kittelsen was born into the Tostrup family, well known in Norway for its goldsmithing firm. In 1945 she married the architect Arne Korsmo. Starting in the late 1940s and early ’50s, the two collaborated on several innovative goldsmithing projects. Prytz Kittelsen revolutionised Norwegian jewellery design with the ring Domino (1952), a work that paved the way for a more rational production of jewellery. At the Triennale in Milan in 1954, she received the grand prize for her work that combined silver with enamel. She achieved striking effects in these works through her innovative technique of using a drill – one similar to that used by dentists – to mark the metal underneath the transparent enamel. In 1955 metal products manufacturer Cathrineholm began producing Prytz Kittelsen’s enamelled bowls, platters, dishes and smaller objects in steel. They roused attention and acclaim and were eventually widely available both in Norway and abroad. In partnership with the Italian designer Paolo Venini, Kittelsen also designed innovative jewellery in silver and glass.