Henning Koppel
Henning Koppel (born May 8, 1918 in Copenhagen ; † June 27, 1981 there ) was a Danish designer , sculptor and graphic artist . He is one of the most important Scandinavian designers of the post-war period.
education
Henning Koppel studied drawing with Bizzie Høyer (1888–1977) in Copenhagen from 1935 to 1936 . Until 1937 he then studied sculpture with Anker Hoffmann (1904–1985) at the Royal Danish Academy of Art in Copenhagen. In 1938 he went to the Académie Ranson in Paris for a year of study , where he came into contact with new trends in avant-garde sculpture.
Artistic creation
Henning Koppel spent the Second World War in exile in Stockholm . There he worked for the Swedish companies Orrefors and Svenskt Tenn . During this time he also began designing gold and silver jewelry.
In 1945 Henning Koppel returned to Denmark and soon began working with the silversmiths of Georg Jensen (1866–1935), which lasted until his death in 1981. Henning Koppel received the greatest international recognition for his shapely sculptural silverware , which he created for the Georg Jensen company. For his biomorphic silver jewelry, he was inspired by contemporary abstract sculptures by Hans Arps (1887–1966) and Constantin Brâncușis (1876–1957). An example is his bracelet model no. 89 (1946), which is very futuristic in its plastic design. His silver bowl model no. 980 (1950) is one of the top achievements in modern silversmithing and was awarded the IX gold medal in 1951. Triennial in Milan awarded. It shows how Henning Koppel translated objects of daily use into abstract sculptures.
In addition to his work for the silversmith Georg Jensen, Henning Koppel also worked in other design areas and for other companies. Between 1961 and 1981 he designed several ceramics for the Copenhagen porcelain manufacturer Bing & Grøndahl , including the simple porcelain service Form 24 (1962), which became known as Koppel Weiß and whose teapot has a distinctive, laterally protruding handle made of teak wood. In 1971 Koppel resumed his work as a freelance designer for the Orrefors glassworks . In 1967 he also designed clocks and lights for the Copenhagen company Louis Poulsen and postage stamps for the Danish Post.
style
Henning Koppel's designs introduced a completely new design quality into the Copenhagen silver production. They stood out just as clearly from the naturalistic decorative elements of the early 20th century as from the geometric-functional shapes of the 1930s. In his handicraft design, Henning Koppel gave expression to a universally organic design language. He first sketched his design ideas in drawings and then modeled them in clay before they were implemented in silver. His understanding of the nature of materials led to the production of exquisite metal goods that were of outstanding quality because of their plastic and organic shapes. Their mirror-smooth polished surfaces and their asymmetrical lines made these objects the epitome of the style known as the New Look in Scandinavian design in the post-war period .
Awards
Henning Koppel's glass, steel and silver creations for Georg Jensen received at the IX., X. and XI. Milan Triennial of 1951, 1954 and 1957 gold medals. In addition, his work was awarded the Lunning Prize in 1953 and the International Design Award of the American Institute of Designers in 1963 .
Private life
Henning Koppel's brother was the Danish architect Nils Koppel (born June 11, 1914 Copenhagen, married to the architect Eva Koppel née Ditlevsen (born January 1, 1916 in Copenhagen; † 2006)). Henning Koppel's daughter was the Danish textile designer Nina Koppel (* 1942; † 1989).
literature
- Koppel, Henning . In: Hans Vollmer (Hrsg.): General Lexicon of Fine Artists of the XX. Century. tape 6 , supplements H-Z . EA Seemann, Leipzig 1962, p. 160 .
- Charlotte and Peter Fiell: Scandinavian Design. Scandinavian design. Cologne u. a. 2002, pp. 362-369
- Charlotte and Peter Fiell (eds.): Decorative Art 60s. Cologne u. a. 2006
- Henning Repetzky: Koppel, Henning . In: General Artist Lexicon . The visual artists of all times and peoples (AKL). Volume 81, de Gruyter, Berlin 2014, ISBN 978-3-11-023186-1 , p. 301.
Web links
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Koppel, Henning |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Danish designer, sculptor and graphic artist |
| DATE OF BIRTH | May 8, 1918 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Copenhagen |
| DATE OF DEATH | June 27, 1981 |
| Place of death | Copenhagen |