ASEA Belysning
ASEA / ASEA Belysning (Allmänna Svenska Elektriska Aktiebolaget, Västerås/Sweden, founded 1883) – Swedish electrical group and influential lighting manufacturer of the Swedish modernist era
Company and origin
ASEA – Allmänna Svenska Elektriska Aktiebolaget ("General Swedish Electrical Limited Company") – was one of the most important European electrical corporations and for more than a century the central pillar of the Swedish electrical industry. From 1890 onward the company's seat was Västerås, which subsequently developed into one of Sweden's most important industrial cities.
ASEA understood itself as a fully integrated electrical group: from generators, transformers, electric motors, electric locomotives, cranes, substations, household appliances (irons, ovens, washing machines), machine tools and lifts to nuclear power plants, its programme covered the entire span of "the generation and application of electric power". Within this broad portfolio, lighting – marketed partly under the internal designation "ASEA Belysning" and partly under the trade name "ASEA Skandia" – developed from the 1910s onward into an independent, artistically ambitious division.
The founders: Ludvig Fredholm and Jonas Wenström
Ludvig Fredholm (1830–1891) was a Swedish industrialist; on 17 January 1883 he founded Elektriska Aktiebolaget in Stockholm as a manufacturer of generators and electric lighting. His technical partner from the outset was the engineer Jonas Wenström (1855–1893), one of the pioneers of multi-phase alternating current in Sweden. His brother Göran Wenström simultaneously ran Wenströms & Granströms Elektriska Kraftbolag; the merger with that company on 18 November 1890 created ASEA in Västerås. The fundamental patents of the two Wenström brothers on multi-phase AC systems secured the young company an international leadership position in the generation, transmission and application of electric power.
History at a glance (1883 to today)
1883 – Founding in Stockholm
Ludvig Fredholm and Jonas Wenström jointly founded Elektriska Aktiebolaget to manufacture generators and electric lighting. Thus, at the very beginning of the later group, stands lighting.
1890 – Merger into ASEA and relocation to Västerås
Elektriska Aktiebolaget merged with Wenströms & Granströms Elektriska Kraftbolag to form Allmänna Svenska Elektriska Aktiebolaget; over the following decades ASEA grew into Sweden's largest manufacturer of electrical equipment.
1911 – Entry into the residential luminaire market
After almost three decades focused on heavy electrical engineering, ASEA broadened its programme to include light consumer goods for the private household – among them lighting. This makes ASEA one of the earliest industrial serial manufacturers of electric residential luminaires in Scandinavia.
1916 – Central Research Laboratory in Västerås
With the Central Research Laboratory, ASEA established one of the first corporate research facilities of the Swedish industry – the basis for its later technical leadership in high-voltage transmission, electric motors and rail technology.
1930s – Functionalist lighting
Against the backdrop of the 1930 Stockholm Exhibition and Swedish functionalism, the collaboration with external author-designers begins; the first wall, pendant and outdoor luminaires in a clear geometric language henceforth shape the design identity of the division (see section "Formative designers").
1940s / 1950s – Heyday of the lighting division
The lighting division reaches its creative peak. Series in brass, teak, elm, opal and milk glass appear on a large scale: table, floor, standing and wall luminaires as well as chandeliers and pendants. The models most sought after today originate in this phase (see sections "Formative designers" and "Product areas").
1952 – 380 kV high-voltage line Harsprånget – Hallsberg
ASEA completes the world's first 380 kV AC transmission line with a length of about 1,000 kilometres and 500 MW capacity between the Harsprånget hydro power plant in northern Sweden and the Hallsberg distribution node. The group thus establishes itself definitively as a global benchmark in high-voltage and grid technology.
1954 – First commercial HVDC link to Gotland
With the 100 kV / 200 A high-voltage direct-current (HVDC) link to the Swedish Baltic island of Gotland, ASEA sets another milestone in power engineering. The connection becomes the blueprint for all subsequent HVDC systems worldwide.
1960s – Withdrawal from residential lighting
The group's focus shifts increasingly toward industrial equipment, rail technology, power plants and grid construction; the residential lighting line moves into the background and is gradually discontinued by the end of the 1960s.
1972 – Sweden's first nuclear power plant
ASEA builds Oskarshamn I, Sweden's first commercial nuclear power plant, and subsequently becomes the general contractor for nine of the twelve Swedish reactor blocks.
1987 / 1988 – Merger with BBC to form ABB
On 10 August 1987 ASEA and the Swiss Brown, Boveri & Cie. (BBC) announce their merger. On 1 January 1988 ABB (Asea Brown Boveri) is created with its seat in Zurich; the independent ASEA company formally ceases to exist on 31 December 1987. The ASEA name has since been maintained by ABB as a heritage brand.
From the 1990s – International collectors' market for ASEA luminaires
Parallel to the industrial continuation of the core competencies under ABB (drives, rail technology, substations, HVDC, robotics), an international vintage and collectors' market for the author luminaires of the Belysning era has developed, permanently securing the art-historical significance of the brand in the field of lighting.
Design philosophy and signature of the lighting division
The luminaires of the ASEA Belysning era combine Swedish functionalism and mid-century modernism with the engineering ambition of a large electrical group. Recurring characteristics include:
Material canon: solid brass (polished, brushed or patinated), perforated brass and steel sheet, oiled and lacquered teak and elm wood, white opal and milk glass, acid-etched (matte) clear glass, textile shades. Visible cable routing and high-quality Bakelite or brass sockets are standard.
Formal repertoire: clear geometric basic shapes (cylinders, cones, spheres, shells), gently curved brass arms, shell-shaped wall reflectors, conical milk glass shades, turned or fluted brass bases, adjustable task lamps with articulated arms.
Author principle: key objects of the division bear the signature of named designers; internal model numbers (with an E prefix) are still referenced today by the specialised trade as standalone market references.
Serial quality and industrial rigour: the division benefits from the engineering infrastructure of the group – from its own research laboratory to group-wide test and production quality.
Formative designers of the lighting division
The art-historical importance of ASEA in the field of lighting rests essentially on the signature designs of prominent Swedish and Nordic designers:
Erik Gunnar Asplund (1885 Stockholm – 1940 Stockholm):
architect of the Swedish modernist movement, widely regarded as the "godfather of Swedish modernism" and one of the driving forces behind the 1930 Stockholm Exhibition (also responsible for the Stockholm Public Library 1928 and the Skogskyrkogården Woodland Cemetery, UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1994). For ASEA he designed wall, pendant and outdoor luminaires in the 1930s in a strict, geometrically clear formal language, which were still being produced in the 1940s and 1950s.
Hans Bergström (1910 Stockholm – 2004):
one of the most influential Swedish lighting designers of the post-war modernist era; founder and long-time head of the Ateljé Lyktan manufactory in Åhus (1934). In parallel he designed table, floor and wall luminaires in brass for ASEA in the 1950s, often combined with teak, elm, opal and milk glass, or with perforated metal. Reference model: the perforated brass table lamp Model E1271.
Sonja Katzin (1919 – 2014):
Swedish sculptor and industrial designer for whom ASEA produced several serial luminaires in the 1940s and 1950s, characterised by chiselled or fluted brass elements and fabric or opal glass shades. Reference model: the fluted brass floor lamp Model E1771 (1950s).
Lisa Johansson-Pape (1907 Helsinki – 1989 Helsinki):
Finnish designer, long associated with Stockmann/Orno; her opal glass "Onion" series was awarded a gold medal at the X Triennale di Milano in 1954. She is mentioned in the context of the ASEA Belysning catalogues; the concrete attribution of individual models to ASEA is not documented conclusively in every case in publicly available sources.
The catalogue is complemented by serial designs from ASEA's in-house construction and design department – prominently under the trade name "ASEA Skandia".
Key product areas and iconic objects
Wall and ceiling luminaires
The "Coquille" wall lights produced under the trade name "ASEA Skandia" (shell-shaped shade of acid-etched milk glass on a brass back plate, from the 1940s onward) are today one of the most widely traded serial motifs of the brand. They are complemented by opal glass and brass wall lights by Hans Bergström (1950s), brass/fabric wall lights by Sonja Katzin (1940s), and functionalist outdoor wall and ceiling luminaires designed by Gunnar Asplund.
Table and floor luminaires
Perforated brass table and floor lamps by Hans Bergström combine industrial sheet metalwork with warm, filtered light; Katzin's fluted brass floor lamp and her table lamps with sculptural brass bases are considered particularly collectable. Combinations of brass with teak or elm (Bergström) embody the characteristic union of craft and industrial series production.
Chandeliers, pendants and ceiling luminaires
Pendants and chandeliers in brass, opal glass and lacquered metal form another key area of the division. Alongside the author designs, serial factory models with classic milk glass shades and conical reflectors shape the catalogue.
Outdoor and functional lighting
Outdoor wall luminaires – prominently the large models designed by Gunnar Asplund – are part of the programme, as are functional workshop and railway station luminaires from the group's adjacent industrial programme.
Target audiences, distribution and intellectual property
From the 1930s to the 1960s, ASEA lighting was distributed via the Swedish and Nordic specialist trade, via the retail partner Nordiska Kompaniet (Stockholm) and via architecture and contract projects of the Swedish welfare state; key reference installations can be found in residential buildings, administrative buildings and educational institutions of Swedish post-war modernism. Following the merger with BBC to form ABB, the independent residential lighting line was gradually discontinued. Today the existing stock is carried by an internationally very active vintage specialist trade (including 1stDibs, Pamono, Incollect, Vntg, H. Gallery, PRB, TREEN, Kabinet Hubert, Sella Studio, Two Enlighten and Chairish). The trademark "ASEA" is maintained by ABB as a heritage brand; publicly available sources do not offer detailed information on the registration of individual lighting designs as registered designs or patents.
Awards and museum presence
For the technical core work of the group numerous international milestone recognitions are documented (world's first 380 kV AC line, first commercial HVDC connection, Sweden's first nuclear power plant – see section "History"). In the field of lighting, the signature designs of Erik Gunnar Asplund are part of the canonical corpus of Swedish modernism and are regularly shown as part of Asplund retrospectives. For the consolidated inclusion of individual ASEA lighting models under the ASEA name in museum collections, publicly available sources do not provide a conclusive overview.
Significance for collectors and specialist trade
ASEA unites two art-historical narratives: the rise of Sweden as a global electrical power, and the establishment of Swedish modernism in the field of residential culture and lighting. For the collector and second-life market, the author luminaires of the Belysning era (1930s to 1960s) and the serial Skandia family with the iconic "Coquille" wall lights are of particular relevance. These positions are permanently traded on international design platforms in the mid to upper three-digit and four-digit euro range and form an essential component of any serious collection of Scandinavian mid-century lighting.
Locations at a glance
Västerås (historical seat from 1890): seat of ASEA and of the Central Research Laboratory (from 1916); today the location of ABB Sweden AB.
Stockholm (founding city 1883): first workshop of Elektriska Aktiebolaget.
Ludvika, Ludvika-Grängesberg, Finspång and further Swedish locations: production and works sites for high-voltage technology, turbines and rail technology.
Zurich (seat of ABB from 1988): current group seat following the merger with BBC.
Fact sheet
Company name: ASEA – Allmänna Svenska Elektriska Aktiebolaget; lighting division internally "ASEA Belysning" / trade name "ASEA Skandia".
Predecessor: Elektriska Aktiebolaget (founded 17 Jan 1883, Stockholm).
Founding of ASEA: 18 Nov 1890 in Västerås (merger with Wenströms & Granströms Elektriska Kraftbolag).
Founders: Ludvig Fredholm (1830–1891) with Jonas Wenström (1855–1893); second merger base: Göran Wenström (Wenströms & Granströms).
End as an independent company: 31 Dec 1987; successor ABB (founded 1 Jan 1988, seat Zurich).
Legal form (historical): Aktiebolag (AB) under Swedish law.
Lighting division programme: wall, ceiling, table, floor and standing luminaires, chandeliers, pendants, outdoor luminaires; heyday 1930s–1960s.
Formative designers: Erik Gunnar Asplund (1885–1940), Hans Bergström (1910–2004), Sonja Katzin (1919–2014); in the wider context Lisa Johansson-Pape (1907–1989).
Iconic models: "Coquille" wall lights (ASEA Skandia), Model E1271 (Bergström), Model E1771 (Katzin), pendants and outdoor luminaires by Asplund.
Materials: brass, perforated brass/steel sheet, teak, elm, opal and milk glass, acid-etched clear glass, textile.
Group milestones (context): Central Research Laboratory Västerås 1916, 380 kV line Harsprånget–Hallsberg 1952, HVDC Gotland 1954, Oskarshamn I nuclear power plant 1972.
Distribution today: successor company ABB (Zurich); collectors' trade via international design platforms.
Intellectual property: "ASEA" as ABB heritage brand; individual design registrations for the luminaires not documented in public sources.
Sources and references
Wikipedia (English), "ASEA": https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ASEA
ABB, Corporate History – "ASEA – Heritage Brand": https://www.abb.com/global/en/company/about/history/heritage-brands/asea
ABB News Center, "140 years of ASEA": https://new.abb.com/news/detail/106125/140-years-of-asea
ABB, "History of ABB": https://www.abb.com/global/en/company/about/history
Graces Guide to British Industrial History, "ASEA": https://www.gracesguide.co.uk/ASEA
Alchetron, "ASEA": https://alchetron.com/ASEA
FundingUniverse, "History of ABB Asea Brown Boveri Ltd.": https://www.fundinguniverse.com/company-histories/abb-asea-brown-boveri-ltd-history/
Incollect / Benjamin Genocchio, "Northern Lights: Scandinavian Modern Lighting & Designers": https://www.incollect.com/articles/northern-lights-lighting-the-scandinavian-way
1stDibs, ASEA – lighting overview: https://www.1stdibs.com/creators/asea/furniture/lighting/
1stDibs, ASEA – sconces and wall lights: https://www.1stdibs.com/creators/asea/furniture/lighting/sconces-wall-lights/
1stDibs, ASEA – chandeliers and pendants: https://www.1stdibs.com/creators/asea/furniture/lighting/chandeliers-pendant-lights/
1stDibs, "Erik Gunnar Asplund Lighting": https://www.1stdibs.com/creators/erik-gunnar-asplund/furniture/lighting/
1stDibs, "Hans Bergström – Designer Biography": https://www.1stdibs.com/creators/hans-bergstrom/
1stDibs, "Hans Bergström Lighting": https://www.1stdibs.com/creators/hans-bergstrom/furniture/lighting/
1stDibs, "Sonja Katzin": https://www.1stdibs.com/creators/sonja-katzin/
1stDibs, "ASEA Skandia Coquille Brass and Glass Wall Lamps, Sweden 1940s": https://www.1stdibs.com/furniture/lighting/sconces-wall-lights/asea-skandia-coquille-brass-glass-wall-lamps-sweden-1940s/id-f_38617322/
Pamono, ASEA – overview: https://www.pamono.eu/makers/asea
Pamono, "Swedish Functionalist ASEA Pendant Lamp by Gunnar Asplund for ASEA, 1940s": https://www.pamono.com/swedish-functionalist-asea-pendant-lamp-by-gunnar-asplund-for-asea-1940s
Pamono, "Swedish Brass Floor Lamps by Hans Bergström for ASEA, 1950s": https://www.pamono.com/swedish-brass-floor-lamps-by-hans-bergstroem-for-asea-1950s-set-of-2
Pamono, "Floor Lamp in Teak and Brass by Hans Bergström for ASEA, Sweden, 1950s": https://www.pamono.co.uk/floor-lamp-in-teak-and-brass-by-hans-bergstroem-for-asea-sweden-1950s
H. Gallery, "Pair of Brass and Opal Glass Wall Lights by Hans Bergström for ASEA, Sweden 1950s": https://hgallery.com/archive-6/pair-of-brass-and-opal-glass-wall-lights-by-hans-bergstrm-for-asea-sweden-1950s-20242804
H. Gallery, "Hans Bergström Elm and Brass Table Lamp for ASEA, Sweden 1950s": https://hgallery.com/table-and-floor-lamps/hans-bergstrom-elm-and-brass-table-lamp-for-asea-sweden-1950s-20221473
H. Gallery, "ASEA Skandia Coquille Brass and Glass Wall Lamps, Sweden 1940s": https://hgallery.com/ceiling-and-wall-lamps/asea-skandia-coquille-brass-and-glass-wall-lamps-sweden-1940s-20232156
Kabinet Hubert, "Sonja Katzin Fluted Brass Floor Lamp, Model E1771, ASEA, Sweden, 1950s": https://kabinethubert.com/Lighting/sonja-katzin-fluted-brass-floor-lamp-model-e1771-asea-sweden-1950s
PRB Collection, "Sonja Katzin, Wall Lights, Brass, Fabric, ASEA, Sweden, 1940s": https://prbcollection.com/products/sonja-katzin-wall-lights-brass-fabric-asea-sweden-1940s
Two Enlighten, "1950s Hans Bergström Model E1271 Perforated Metal & Brass Table Lamp for ASEA": https://twoenlighten.com/products/1950s-hans-bergstrom-model-e1271-perforated-metal-brass-table-lamp-for-asea
Sella Studio, "Hans Bergström Table Lamp ASEA Brass 1950s": https://www.sella-studio.com/product-page/hans-bergstr%C3%B6m-table-lamp-asea-brass-1950s
Vntg, "ASEA Skandia 'Coquille' Brass & Glass Wall Lamps, Sweden 1940s": https://www.vntg.com/234258/asea-skandia-coquille-brass-and-glass-wall-lamps-sweden-1940s/
TREEN, "ASEA Lamp by Gunnar Asplund": https://www.treen.se/product-page/asea-lamp
TREEN, "Table Lamp ASEA": https://www.treen.se/product-page/table-lamp-asea