The 1920s—a decade of prosperity, with flowers beginning to bloom amid the wreckage of a world war and an influenza pandemic. In Sweden, a country that sat out the war, a particularly elegant style of design had taken hold. “Swedish Grace,” as it was later called, worked the classical motifs of many countries into lean, serene Swedish design, often with wit and delight. The Swedish fine and decorative arts of this decade wowed the world at expositions of the 20s, but in 1930, full stop, the Swedes abandoned graceful historicity and moved on to Modernism. This exhibition tells the story of a movement that’s also been called “The Forgotten Modern.” —E.C.

Swedish Grace: Art and Design in 1920s Sweden was featured in the February 26, 2022 issue of Air Mail. Read on