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"There is a persistent myth to the effect that Norway is and always has been the odd one out in the sphere of Nordic furniture design. But irrespective of what we ourselves might think, it is a fact that when it comes to international fame, Norwegian pioneers such as Alf Sture from Hiort & Østlyngen lose out as against the Dane Arne Jacobsen of Fritz Hansens Eftf., the Swede Bruno Mathsson from Dux / Bruno Mathsson International, and the Finn Alvar Aalto from Artek. A trivial, but nevertheless striking illustration of this is to be found by leafing through the ”furniture bible”, 1000 chairs by Charlotte & Peter Field. Represented in it are 21 Danish designers, two Swedes, four Finns, but no Norwegians. Another example is the website www.scandinaviandesign.com, which in its review of design-intensive undertakings in the North has not included a single Norwegian producer. However, against the background of such observations, can we really authenticate the myth of Norway’s junior status? Are internationally famous designers, products and producers the only valid parameters when evaluating a nation’s achievements in the field of design? Starting out from this kind of assertion, we risk creating a skewed, perhaps also slightly erroneous impression of the situation. Is it not at least as interesting to study products that have found their way into a host of homes as it is to keep up with what has been bought by museums? On the basis of such a hypothesis we are well equipped to dismiss old myths relating to design history. Products, producers and designers most often achieve fame in the world of design by appealing to critics, design magazines and museums’ purchasing committees. But design is about much more than elite design. What can be termed mainstream design usually tells us more about real social, cultural and aesthetic trends in the population at large. By applying such a cultural historical approach, the time is perhaps ripe for a revaluation of a few ”truths” concerning Norwegian design. "
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