Designer
Hans J. Wegner
Hans J. Wegner (1914–2007) grew up in Tønder in southern Denmark, where his father was a cobbler. He finished a four-year cabinetmaker apprenticeship with H. F. Stahlberg by the age of 18, studied at the School of Arts and Crafts in…
Biography
Background
Hans J. Wegner (1914–2007) grew up in Tønder in southern Denmark, where his father was a cobbler. He finished a four-year cabinetmaker apprenticeship with H. F. Stahlberg by the age of 18, studied at the School of Arts and Crafts in Copenhagen from 1936 to 1938 and showed his first chairs at the Cabinetmakers' Guild exhibition in 1938. With Arne Jacobsen and Erik Møller he then worked on the furniture of Aarhus City Hall, and he opened his own studio in 1943.
Signature Style
Carl Hansen & Søn credits him with almost 500 chairs and calls him the master of the chair. It points to precise joinery, respect for wood and an interest in other natural materials such as paper cord; Wikipedia describes the style as Organic Functionality.
Notable Works
- China Chair (Fritz Hansen, 1944) and Peacock Chair (Johannes Hansen, 1947), per Wikipedia
- Round Chair (Johannes Hansen, 1949)
- CH22–CH25 for Carl Hansen & Søn, launched 1950, among them the CH24 Wishbone Chair
Carl Hansen & Søn
Holger Hansen, who ran the company from 1934, proposed in 1949 that Wegner design a chair collection for the factory to make and sell directly. The partnership produced the CH22–CH25 in 1950 and continues today with the Hans J. Wegner Design Studio.
Legacy
Among his awards are the Lunning Prize and the Milan Triennale Grand Prix (both 1951), the Eckersberg Medal (1956) and the C. F. Hansen Medal (1982). MoMA, Designmuseum Danmark and Die Neue Sammlung hold his work.
Collections
Products
CH327 Dining Table
Hans J. Wegner's 1962 CH327 dining table, a solid-wood top that appears to float above its rails
CH07 Shell Chair
Hans J. Wegner's three-legged Shell Chair: upholstered form-pressed veneer on arched laminated legs
CH24 Wishbone Chair
Hans J. Wegner's Wishbone Chair: steam-bent top rail, Y-shaped back, hand-woven paper cord seat
1788 Easy Chair
Hans J. Wegner's 1788 Easy Chair, 1974: solid oak with loose buttoned cushions, sofa counterpart
CH103 Sofa
Wegner's three-seater sofa in brushed stainless steel with a padded frame and down-wrapped cushions
CH008 Coffee Table
Wegner's 1954 round coffee table with three detachable tapered legs on a triangular frame
CH339 Dining Table
Wegner's CH339: longest of three elliptical solid wood tables, 240 x 115 cm, seats eight, up to 16
CH004 Nesting Tables
Wegner's Nesting Tables, launched 1952: three graduated tables in oak or walnut
CH110 Desk
Wegner's 1970 CH110 desk: veneered top, two slim drawers, stainless flat steel legs, 190 x 95 cm
CH106 Coffee Table
Hans J. Wegner's square CH106 coffee table of glass and stainless steel, 95 x 95 cm
CH291 Lounge Chair
Wegner's 1962 oak lounge chair with a tall backrest, neck pillow and wide armrests
CH25 Lounge Chair
Hans J. Wegner's CH25 lounge chair, in production since 1950, hand-woven from 400 m of paper cord
