GRETA MAGNUSSON GROSSMAN (1906 - 1999) was a Swedish-American revolutionary force in mid-century furniture, interior design, and architecture. She brought the language of European Modernism into her novel designs and was a crucial figure in the transmission of European trends to North American circles in the postwar years.

Grossman enrolled at the University of Arts, Crafts, and Design (Konstfack) in Stockholm in 1928, where she was able to deepen her interest in furniture design, and she complemented her design studies with an education in architecture at the nearby Royal Academy of Technology. Immediately after graduation, she opened her own design studio, called Studio, with colleague Erik Ullrich. She designed and produced mostly furniture and lights and started to participate in several exhibitions. In 1933, Grossman became the first woman to win the Furniture Design Award from the Swedish Society of Industrial Design. That same year, she married Billy Grossman, a jazz musician and bandleader.

As World War II started looming large over all of Europe in 1940, the couple decided to move to Los Angeles, California, where they launched their second studio along Rodeo Drive. It was there that Grossman’s designs drew the eye of Hollywood elite, and thus the popularity of her designs grew quickly. At the same time, Grossman launched her architectural career, borrowing forms and ideas from the masters of Modern European architecture to create a language unique to Southern California.

(Image Credit: Gubi; Source: Casati Gallery)