Loja Saarinen


Minna Carolina Mathilde Louise "Loja" Gesellius was a Finnish-American textile artist and sculptor. She founded the weaving department at the Cranbrook Academy of Art in Michigan. She also led her own studio, the Studio Loja Saarinen, which designed many of the textiles used in buildings designed by her husband, the architect Eliel Saarinen.

Background

She was born March 16, 1879, in Helsinki, Finland, and studied art at the Aalto University [School of Arts, Design and Architecture|Helsinki University of Art and Design] and Academy of [Fine Arts, Helsinki|Drawing School of the Finnish Art Association], and sculpture under Jean Antoine Injalbert at the Académie Colarossi in Paris.

Career

Loja Saarinen started her career in 1928 when she founded one of the most productive weaving departments in the United States at the Cranbrook Educational Community. Saarinen was heavily influenced by Swedish craft tradition. She was one of the first artists to bring Scandinavian design to America. Her most substantial work was for Kingswood School where her studio designed tapestries, rugs, curtains, and upholstery.
Saarinen's work is characterized by simple geometric designs in subtle light and dark contrasts, with a frequent use of complementary colors.
One-Person Exhibitions: