Until 1970, the Listvinahús almost always used a mix of Icelandic clay that Guðmundur and his German colleagues had tested, which is fired at low temperatures and is therefore quite suitable for decorative pieces. The glazes used in the workshop came from Denmark and Germany. At that time, production at the Listvinahús was divided between a fairly prolific output of pieces cast in plaster moulds that Guðmundur made from existing prototypes, and original pottery as well, often with carving. Besides the pioneering work, the Listvinahús was also a training workshop for Icelandic ceramic artists, including Sveinn Einarsson, Guðmundur’s brother and the first apprentice of the art, as well as Guðmundur’s son Einar, who became his successor. Artist Sigríður Björnsdóttir only worked in ceramic arts for a brief time, but while she worked for Guðmundur she made many interesting pieces that merit more detailed discussion. And it was in the Listvinahús from 1939–1944 that Ragnar Kjartansson had his baptism of fire as a ceramic artist. As soon as the Second World War ended, Icelandic artists flocked abroad to hone their skills in the various arts. Influenced by foreign art magazines that had featured ceramics produced in the workshops Picasso established in 1946 in Vallauris, France, the painter Benedikt Guðmundsson (brother of photographer Sigurður), set up a ceramics workshop by Bústaðavegur in Reykjavík in 1947. He was assisted by a Danish couple who had experience in making ceramics, but their company was short-lived. Benedikt’s ceramics, both poured and thrown on the wheel, had an amateurish air to them, although their decorative motifs were quite interesting. That same year, several of the artists who were to influence the development of Icelandic ceramic art for the coming decades returned home, including Ragnar Kjartansson, mentioned above, and the couple Gestur Þorgrímsson and Sigrún Guðjónsdóttir, known familiarly as “Gestur and Rúna”. After his apprenticeship at the Listvinahús, Ragnar had gone to Sweden in 1946, where he learned innovative approaches to the art. By 1947, he had returned as a partner in a new ceramics workshop in Iceland called Funi. He worked with Ingimar Sigurðsson, Pétur Gunnarsson, Ragna Sigurðardóttir, and Baldur Ásgeirsson, although Baldur soon left the company. In 1948 Ragnar bought Funi with Björgvin and Haukur Kristófersson. From the outset the company suffered from a number of things, in particular not having suitable premises, as well as a long delay while trying to find a suitable mix of Icelandic clay. By the early 1950s, the problems were overcome and Funi had established its position in the Icelandic market as a modern ceramics workshop that kept up with the latest
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