Hans-Agne Jakobsson Fata Morgana floor lamps Sweden 1987

Hans-Agne Jakobsson was born in Hvadhem/Gotland, Sweden. After finishing an apprenticeship as a carpenter, he studied architecture in Gothenburg and began his career as industrial designer at General Motors. Subsequently he became an assistant to the prominent furniture designers Carl Malmsten & Werner West. In 1951 he founded his own company, Hans-Agne Jakobsson AB, at Markaryd. There he not only created lighting design but also candlesticks & furniture. Influenced by the nature especially the southern part of Sweden, with its glittering lakes & vast dark woods, Jakobsson came up with imaginative ways with light & illumination. As a talented designer who experimented with brass, iron, glass, fabric and surprisingly wood shavings. He mastered direction and colour of light like only few people did. Cleverly designing so g laring bulbs & irritating decorations disappear; uniting practicality & a sense of wellbeing. Like his famous colleague, Poul Henningsen, Jakobsson counts among the light designers who became known for their attenuated, soft lighting. His iconic designs based on wood shavings were produced by Ellysett AB.