KunstenaarSwedish
Elon Arenhill
2 actieve items
Elon Arenhill was born in 1922 and spent nearly his entire working life in Malmö, where he built a career as a silversmith and goldsmith across more than five decades. His output ranged from functional hollowware - cups, trophies, communion vessels - to fine jewelry in sterling silver, 18-karat gold, and white gold set with gemstones including amethyst, brilliants, and pearls. He died in 2018 at the age of 96, leaving behind a body of work that spans the mid-century Scandinavian design tradition through to the late 1990s.
Arenhill worked within the broad current of Scandinavian modernism that shaped the applied arts in Sweden from the 1950s onward. His silver pieces are characterised by clean geometric forms, hammered surfaces, and a restraint that places them in dialogue with the functionalist aesthetic that was central to Swedish craft institutions of the period. Works dated from the 1950s through the 1970s carry the Malmö hallmark alongside his maker's stamp, providing a clear documentary trail through the decades of production.
His jewelry shows consistent formal invention. Rings and bracelets in 18-karat white gold use faceted stones - amethysts, old-cut and octagonal diamonds - set in plain mounts that allow the material to dominate. Sterling silver necklaces and brooches from the same years take simpler sculptural forms. The twelve hammered sterling silver cups from 1974, documented in several major collections, are among his most recognisable hollowware pieces and reflect his ability to work equally across decorative and functional categories.
Arenhill's work is represented in the Nationalmuseum in Stockholm, which holds examples in its applied arts and design collection. His pieces have appeared at auction across the major Swedish houses, particularly those based in the south of the country where his Malmö connections were strongest.
At Auctionist, 38 items have been catalogued across the Swedish auction market, with 2 currently active. The leading houses selling his work include Crafoord Auktioner Lund (9 lots), Stockholms Auktionsverk Helsingborg (5 lots), Stockholms Auktionsverk Malmö (4 lots), and Skånes Auktionsverk (3 lots). The top auction result recorded is 14,000 SEK for an 18-karat white and yellow gold ring set with old-cut and octagonal diamonds. Other strong results include a sterling silver prize cup (prispokal) for Sydsvenska Dagbladet at 8,700 SEK and a pair of sterling silver candlesticks at 5,500 SEK.