Hans J. Wegner

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Hans Jørgensen Wegner (born April 2, 1914 in Tondern , then German Empire ; † January 26, 2007 in Copenhagen ) was a Danish carpenter , architect and furniture designer .

Life

Design: Hans J. Wegner - in the Center Pompidou in Paris

First Wegner learned the trade of carpenter and then studied 1936–1938 at the School of Applied Arts ( Kunsthåndværkerskolen ) in Copenhagen. He worked as a freelance architect and taught furniture design at the School of Applied Arts from 1946 to 1953. From 1940 on, his main focus was on the design of furniture. In 1940 he designed chairs and tables for the Aarhus town hall designed by Arne Jacobsen . But Wegner also designed cutlery, wallpaper and lamps.

Works

Hans J. Wegner became famous above all for his chairs. He designed over 500 different models, most of which were purely wooden chairs. Many are still made in Denmark, including by Carl Hansen & Søn, Fritz Hansen and PP Møbler. The best known were:

Wegner's peacock chair Wegner's Y-chair
Wegner's peacock chair
Wegner's Y-chair
  • China chair ( Kinastolen ) from 1944, Fritz Hansen
  • Pfauenstuhl ( Påfuglestolen ) from 1947, PP Møbler
  • Round chair ( Den rund stol ) from 1949, PP Møbler. The round chairs were used by CBS in 1960 for the first live televised duel between American presidential candidates. John F. Kennedy insisted on the model because he preferred a comfortable chair because of his back pain. The following day, “ The Chair” received praise and recognition in numerous newspaper reports.
  • Y-chair ( Y-stolen ) from 1950, Carl Hansen & Søn
  • Valet chair / mute servant ( Jakkens Hvile ) from 1953, PP Møbler
  • Ox chair ( Pøllestolen ) from 1960, Erik Jørgensen.

For decades, Wegner designed numerous armchairs, sofas and tables for the Danish furniture company Getama (contract outfitter).

In 1964, some of Wegner's works were shown at documenta III in Kassel in the Industrial Design department .

Honors

In 1997 he received the 8th International Design Award in Osaka and was given an honorary doctorate from the Royal College of Art in London . A permanent exhibition of Wegner's works has been on view in the art history museum in his hometown of Tondern since 1998. It is located in the former water tower next to the museum. In 1982 he received the CF Hansen Medal .

literature

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ A & W Special, Scandinavian Design 4/2008

Web links

Commons : Hans Wegner  - Collection of images, videos and audio files
personal data
SURNAME Wegner, Hans J.
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Wegner, Hans Jørgensen; Wegner, Hans
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Danish architect and furniture designer
DATE OF BIRTH April 2, 1914
PLACE OF BIRTH Tønder
DATE OF DEATH January 26, 2007
Place of death Copenhagen