Agneta Spångberg emerged in the 1990's as one of Sweden's most original ceramic artists. She revolutionized functional earthenware by using decoration in new, exciting ways - combining the raw look of red clay with bright-colored glazes, splashes of oxides, and traditional ceramic decals. The result is both familiar and exceptionally bold. Agneta imbues her work with singular energy, often firing pieces 5 times to get the pure expression that she strives for. Often she will create a series of objects that are kindred in form, yet unique, like a family. Even when she steps up in scale, you can see that all of her work shares similar qualities.

She enjoys working with functional ceramics, but she often branches out into larger pieces - once again with a completely personal style. Agneta has never shied away from challenges, including major exhibitions with multiple pieces over 1 meter high, some weighing over 100 kilos, all done by herself in her small studio in Stockholm.

One memorable exhibition was located in the ruins of a 16th century castle on an island off Sweden. The theme was “Gold in the Arts”, and Agneta responded by producing two pieces that she called “Treasure Chests”. Both of them reflected the shape of huge urns, built with ceramic spheres, decorated with gold and personalized “coins”, which were strung like pearls on large steel frameworks. The two huge pieces, over 2 meters high, were placed in an ancient stone room in the castle as if they had been brought back from some exotic world.

Agneta's artistic education provides a clue to her free juxtaposition of traditional craft with unbridled decoration. She studied traditional functional ceramics at Capellagården in Sweden, and then absorbed non-traditional techniques at the Sun Valley Center and Pilchuck Glass School in the United States. The harmonious resolution of apparently incompatible colors and décor on clean, simple forms is what gives Agneta's work such vitality, and the layers of rich glazes, intricate patterns, and subtle textures in her pieces provide a depth that make them continually interesting.

During Agneta's 25-year career as a ceramic artist, her work has been shown in numerous exhibitions in Sweden, and in several international shows. She is in the collections of the National Museum in Stockholm, the Röhsska Museum in Gothenburg, and Drammens Museum in Norway, among others. She has also done public and private commissions for major corporations, banks, hospitals, and housing cooperatives in Sweden.

Her inspiration comes from unexpected sources - architectural details in Venice, the profusion of the Grand Bazaar in Istanbul, the coarse pottery of rural Mexico or Greece. She grew up playing outside one of the large porcelain factories in Sweden, sometimes marveling at the piles of colorful shards, presaging her life of making beautiful compositions from dissimilar fragments.

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