GUNVOR OLIN-GRÖNQVIST (born 1928 in Espoo, Finland, died 2005 in Helsinki, Finland) studied to be a porcelain painter at the Institute of Industrial Art in 1948-1951 and spent her whole professional career, from 1951 to 1992, at the Arabia factory, working in the Applied Art and Art Departments and on a grant.

In the Industrial Design Department, Olin-Grönqvist also designed several models and decoration types for mass production, including Valpuri, Fructus, Kosmos, Soraya, and Nooakin arkki (Noah's Ark). Her typical methods of decoration were raw painting, colour glazes, and engraving. The decoration types consisted of stylized animal, fruit, and plant motifs with fairy-tale themes. Her works were mainly made of porcelain, faience, and stoneware.

Later on, in the Art Department, her work focused on naturalistiscally treated garden plants, such as apples and onions, and a chicken coop with a fox lurking nearby. Tea for Two, Arabia's first white stoneware tea service of elegant, round forms, was designed by Gunvor Olin-Grönqvist.

Source: ARABIA Ceramics│Art│Industry by Marianne Aav, Elise Kovanen, Marjut Kumela, Helena Leppänen, Susanna Vakkari, Susann Vihma, Tapio Yli-Viikari - published by Designmuseo, 2009.