Richard Duborgh

Richard Duborgh was a multi-talented designer and craft artist. In 1959 he became artistic director at the glass foundry at Plus, a national centre for applied arts in Fredrikstad. Towards the end of 1959, when Rolf Hansen stepped down as leader of Plus’s ceramics workshop, Duborgh became the leader of that workshop as well. As a ceramicist at Plus, Duborgh specialised in teapots, candleholders and bowls. Meanwhile, one of his design classics from the glass foundry is Bollesett – a set of three differently-sized bowls. The design for these was quite similar to a decorative plant pot he had made in the ceramics workshop. While at Plus, Duborgh also designed objects made of wood and plastic. In 1967 he was the first in Norway to design a plastic toboggan – Speed Bob. In late 1968/early 1969, Duborgh left Plus to start his own ceramics workshop in the town of Son.