Eeva Anneli ("Anu") Pentikäinen (née Pasi; born 3 August 1942),[1] better known professionally as Anu Pentik, is a Finnish designer and ceramicist.
Anu Pentik | |
|---|---|
 Pentik in 1987 | |
| Born | Eeva Anneli Pasi 3 August 1942 |
| Known for | Ceramic design |
Early life and education edit
Pentik's mother died when she was only six, after which she had to assume responsibility for running the household.[2]
She trained as a home economist (Finnish: kotitalousteknikko), and later as arts & crafts instructor.[3]
Pentik is largely self-taught; pottery-making and leather craft started as her hobbies, before she decided to try her hand at them professionally.[4]
Career edit
Pentik set up her eponymous ceramics and interior design business Pentik in Posio, Lapland, in 1971, together with her husband Topi Pentikäinen.[1][5] The first products were sold at the village petrol station.[2]
The first retail store in Helsinki opened five years later,[5] and over the next forty years the business grew to comprise 80 stores in Finland and other Nordic countries,[1] making it one of Finland's leading design businesses.[4] The company is known for its focus on employee well-being, work-life-balance, and flexible work time arrangements.[4] It employs over 300 staff,[1] of whom c. 80% are women.[4]
Pentik has remained throughout the artistic director of the family business, working full time into her late 70s.[2]
Design edit
Pentik's designs are characterised by warm colours and organic shapes, and have been described as atmospheric.[6]
Her products are designed to be sustainable, safe and long-lasting.[7]
Exhibitions (selected) edit
In 1993, Pentik co-exhibited alongside her fellow industrial designers Kaija Aarikka and Vuokko Nurmesniemi, in an exhibition titled "Kolme naista, kolme elämäntyötä" (lit. "Three women, three lifeworks") in Ikaalinen.[8]
In 2006, she held her 35-year-retrospective exhibition "Intohimona keramiikka" (lit. "Ceramics as passion") at the Retretti art museum in Punkaharju.[9]
In 2017, Pentik's two-month solo exhibition "Three Rooms" in Kunsthalle Helsinki formed part of the 100th anniversary celebrations of Finland's independence.[6][2]
In 2020, she held a 50-year-retrospective solo exhibition at the Wäinö Aaltonen Museum of Art in Turku.[2]
Awards and honours edit
In 2012, Anu Pentik was conferred an honorary doctorate by the University of Lapland's Faculty of Art and Design.[10][1]
In 2014, she was awarded the Pro Finlandia medal of the Order of the Lion of Finland.[11]
In 2021, Pentik received the Finnish State Prize for Design in recognition of her 50-year-career.[3]
References edit
- ^ a b c d e "Anu Pentik 70 vuotta". Helsingin Sanomat (in Finnish). 2 August 2012. Retrieved 9 November 2023.
- ^ a b c d e "76-vuotiaalla Anu Pentikillä 12 tunnin työpäiviä näyttelyn teossa". Ilta-Sanomat (in Finnish). 23 September 2018. Retrieved 9 November 2023.
- ^ a b ""Vahvan vision johdattama" – Anu Pentik sai muotoilun valtionpalkinnon". Kaleva (in Finnish). 17 November 2021. Retrieved 9 November 2023.
- ^ a b c d "Anu Pentik, taiteilijaelämää Posiolla" (in Finnish). Yle. 5 July 2012. Retrieved 9 November 2023.
- ^ a b "Pentik". Uppslagsverket.fi (in Swedish). Retrieved 9 November 2023.
- ^ a b "Anu Pentik: Three Rooms (11.3.–14.5.2017)". Kunsthalle Helsinki. Retrieved 9 November 2023.
- ^ "Anu Pentik työskentelee intohimoisesti ja lumoutuu kauneudesta" (in Finnish). Yle. 3 September 2017. Retrieved 9 November 2023.
- ^ "Taideteollisuuden kolme vahvaa naista esiintyvät yhdessä". Helsingin Sanomat (in Finnish). 10 December 1993. Retrieved 9 November 2023.
- ^ "Anu Pentik - Intohimona Keramiikka". MTV Uutiset (in Finnish). 30 June 2006. Retrieved 9 November 2023.
- ^ "Lapin yliopistoon 12 uutta kunniatohtoria" (in Finnish). University of Lapland. Retrieved 9 November 2023.
- ^ "Suomen Leijonan Pro Finlandia -mitalin saajat". Ritarikunnat.fi (in Finnish). The Orders of the White Rose of Finland and the Lion of Finland. Retrieved 9 November 2023.
