10 Euro of Finland 2011 Ag BU - Kaj Franck and Industrial Art

It’s not possible to talk of Finnish design without mentioning Kaj Franck. He had the courage and the skill to bring out the true essence in every object he designed. Kaj Franck is a part of many Finn’s homes in their everyday and festive lives. Year 2011 marked 100 years since the birth of Kaj Franck. Mint of Finland had the honor of issuing a collector coin in his memory.

Dubbed ‘the conscience of Finnish design’, Kaj Franck (1911–1989) taught Finnish designers and designed for Arabia, Artek, Nuutajärvi and Iittala. He is one of the internationally most recognized designers and was among the first proponents of recycling.

As many collector coins have been designed by sculptors, they can be considered miniature sculptures. The Kaj Franck and Industrial Art collector coin was designed by sculptor Reijo Paavilainen. The simplified profiles on the reverse side portray the most famous forms of Kaj Franck’s production. The obverse side depicts the signature of Kaj Franck in the same simple spirit.