Background
Kittelsen was born in 1917 in Kristiania to Ingerid Juel and Jakob Tostrup Prytz, who was a goldsmith, and rector of the Norwegian National Academy of Craft and Art Industry.
Kittelsen was born in 1917 in Kristiania to Ingerid Juel and Jakob Tostrup Prytz, who was a goldsmith, and rector of the Norwegian National Academy of Craft and Art Industry.
Illinois Institute of Technology. Oslo National Academy of the Arts.
She is one of the most well-known Norwegians in the Scandinavian Design movement, and has been referred to as the "Queen of Scandinavian Design". Prytz" and Juel"s residence was often home to students and foreign lecturers of the academy, among them Alvar Aalto. After receiving examen artium in 1935, Kittelsen began studying goldsmithing at the Norwegian National Academy of Craft and Art Industry.
She received her diploma in 1941, after which she worked for J Tostrup, a goldsmithing firm run by the Tostrup family for four generations.
They divorced after 15 years. Kittelsen pioneered the use of large-scale manufacturing methods utilized by later industrial designers.
As recipient of a Fulbright grant, Kittelsen lived in the United States in 1949 and 1950, where she studied at the IIT Institute of Design. From 1954 to 57 she participated in the "Design in Scandinavia" exhibition, shown in several places in the United States and Canada.
Near the end of the 50s, her products, manufactured by Hadeland Glassverk and Cathrineholm, were commonly found in Norwegian homes.
"Sensasjonskasserollen" (lit The sensation casserole) was particularly successful, with 150,000 units sold in 1964. Her designs were often inspired by American art, characterized by clear, plain colors and simple shapes. Kittelsen also designed informal, inexpensive jewellery made from silver and vitreous enamel.
She was awarded the Prince Eugen Medal the same year.
Grete Prytz Kittelsen died at age 93 in Oslo 25 September 2010.