Greta M. Grossman

Greta Magnusson Grossman was a Swedish architect, furniture and interior designer. She was one of the first women to dominate the modern design world since the mid-20th Century, inserting herself into the European and American scene. Born in 1906 in Helsingborg, she successfully completed her studies at the Konstfack art school in Stockholm and then opened "Studio," her first store with workshop, in 1933. In the same year she moved to Los Angeles after getting married to jazz musician Billy Grossman. They opened a store on Rodeo Drive, bringing the modern Scandinavian aesthetic to America and immediately enjoying great success. This store attracted such important clientele as Frank Sinatra and Gracie Allen, and very soon Greta began appearing alongside famous artists such as Charles Eames and Isamu Noguchi. She is best known for her industrial designs such as the Gräshoppa floor lamp and Cobra table lamp, which are still on the market today. In the 1940s and 1950s she exhibited her work in museums around the world such as the National Museum in Stockholm and MoMa in New York. He passed away in 1999 in Los Angeles.