DesignerSwedish
Vivianna Torun Bülow-Hübe
7 active items
Vivianna Torun Buelow-Huebe, known simply as Torun, shaped silver the way water moves. Her necklaces flow around the neck in unbroken curves, her bangles seem to ripple rather than sit rigid, and her brooches suggest leaves and petals caught mid-motion. Born on 4 December 1927 in Malmoe into a creative family (her mother was a sculptor, her father a town planner, her siblings would become a poet and architects), she studied at Konstfack in Stockholm before travelling to Paris and Cannes in 1948, where she met Pablo Picasso, Georges Braque, and Henri Matisse.
Torun established herself as an independent silversmith in the 1950s, working first from studios in Stockholm and later from the south of France. She was the first female silversmith to achieve international recognition, and her client list read like a cultural almanac: Billie Holiday, Ingrid Bergman, Brigitte Bardot, Pablo Picasso, Chester Himes, and Duke Ellington all wore her jewellery. Her collaboration with Georg Jensen, which began in 1967, produced some of the Danish house's most celebrated designs. The "Mobius" necklace, the "Vivianna" open-face watch (which became a design icon), the "Beans" collection, "Forget Me Knot," and "Hidden Heart" all carry her distinctive sensibility: organic forms drawn from nature, seemingly simple but technically demanding.
Torun's approach to precious stones was unconventional. She often used semi-precious materials, rock crystal, and coloured glass alongside silver, placing aesthetic quality above market value. In 1992 she received the Prince Eugen Medal from King Carl XVI Gustaf, Sweden's highest recognition for outstanding artistic achievement. She died on 3 July 2004.
At auction, Torun's jewellery appears frequently through RA Auktionsverket Norrkoeping (which handles the largest share), Stockholms Auktionsverk, and Crafoord Auktioner. Sterling silver necklaces with pendants reach 19,500 to 21,386 SEK. With 167 items on Auctionist spanning necklaces, earrings, bracelets, brooches, and watches, her market is active and diverse.