Verner Panton

Background

Verner Panton (1926–1998) was born in Gamtofte, Denmark, and is considered one of Denmark's most influential 20th-century furniture and interior designers. He studied architecture at the Royal Danish Academy of Art in Copenhagen, graduating in 1951, and worked from 1950 to 1952 in the office of Arne Jacobsen, where he contributed to the development of the Ant chair. He moved to Switzerland in the early 1960s.

Signature Style

Panton created innovative, futuristic designs in many materials, especially plastics, and in vibrant colours; Vitra calls the masterful use of colour the hallmark of his work. From the late 1960s he designed entire environments in which curved furniture, wall upholstery, textiles and lighting merged into one immersive interior.

Notable Works

• Panton Chair (1959, produced with Vitra from 1967), the first one-piece plastic cantilever chair
• Cone Chair and Heart Cone Chair, designed around his parents' Kom-igen inn (1958)
• System 1-2-3 seating for Fritz Hansen (1977) and the VP Europa lighting range for Louis Poulsen (1978)
• Spiral and Shell lamps, Flying Chairs and the Living Tower

Legacy

Panton's 1960s style regained popularity at the end of the 20th century, and his best-known furniture remains in production at Vitra and other manufacturers. His final exhibition, Light and Colour, opened at the Trapholt Museum in Kolding in 1998.