To mark its 160th anniversary, Gemla partnered with Bukowskis for Bending Wood

— an auction presenting objects that document different chapters of the Swedish manufacturer’s history.

The auction was accompanied by a viewing at Gemla Galleri, Magnus Ladulåsgatan 10 in Stockholm, open 26–27 November 2021.

Gemla was founded in 1866 in Gemla, Småland, and has produced bentwood furniture continuously since the late 19th century. The company’s craft is built around steam-bending solid wood — a process that requires both technical precision and accumulated workshop knowledge. Gemla has maintained this production through significant changes in the furniture industry, making it one of the few Swedish manufacturers with an unbroken line of bentwood craft spanning more than 150 years.

The Bukowskis auction brought together several distinct categories of Gemla material. Prototypes by Jonas Bohlin — the Swedish designer whose long collaboration with Gemla produced pieces including the Humble armchair — offered insight into the development process behind finished products. Rare vintage models provided historical context for the bentwood tradition. A specially designed chair signed by British interior designer Beata Heuman represented a newer creative voice in Gemla’s ongoing practice of working with designers from different backgrounds.

Bukowskis is Sweden’s leading auction house for art and design, based in Stockholm, and the collaboration with Gemla framed the anniversary as both a market event and a cultural document of Swedish craft history.