The Finnish architect and designer Alvar Aalto is recognized as one of the leading figures in the field of 20th Century Modernism. Like his Danish colleague Arne Jacobsen, Aalto combined architecture and design and his work covers a wide span; from large-scale architectural projects, furniture design and light fittings to glassware, textiles and jewellery. In this post we will focus on his lamps.

It was characteristic of Aalto’s understanding of architecture that furniture and lighting were an integral part of the building and therefore no less important than the architectural frame itself. He regarded the experience of architecture as an all-encompassing matter, meaning that furniture or lighting alien to Aalto’s line of thought would disturb the over-all picture. Most of Aalto’s lamps were thus originally made in connection with specific architectural projects and only later went into series production.

The present example, the Golden Bell Lamp A330S, was designed for the Savoy Restaurant in Helsinki in 1937. The lamp is made out of one single piece of brass. The cone of light is restricted by the narrow opening, but combines with the lower perforated ring to create a luminous crown, resulting in a unique atmosphere generated by two kinds of light. The closed form of this lamp served as a prototype for several of Aalto’s later designs, among them the pendant A330 from the 1950s.

The pendant A110, also known as the Hand Grenade, is another example. It was developed in 1951 when Aalto worked on a building for the Finnish Engineering Society in Helsinki. The lamp is characterized by a simple, geometrical form, consisting of two brass cylinders that direct the light straight downwards. The outside is painted while the inside is unpainted brass, giving off an especially warm light.

Aalto was very aware of how much artificial light influences the human psyche and the daily activities, especially in a cold and dark northern climate and he insistently regarded lamps as sources of light defining our use and experience of space. In 1935, lecturing at the Swedish Society for Industrial Design, he said: “Design tricks may lead to piquant effects (lamps that look nice when lit etc.), but we cannot base our lighting design in the age of electricity on such dilettantism. Instead we must extend our rational work to cover a wider range of demands connected with these problems. In addition to technical and general physiological properties, we must rationally study the detailed needs of the health of the individual.”

In his lighting design, Aalto was very preoccupied by creating the right mood, giving the electric light of his interiors a specific character defined by him and suited to the requirements and space in question. It is said, that his interiors were thus sometimes even more interesting in electric light than in daylight.

Aalto aimed at original and unique solutions and even though he opposed “design tricks” his lighting designs hold an artistic quality of their own. Characterized by its asymmetrical conical grille, the floor lamp A805, also known as the Angel’s Wing, is one of his more sculptural designs, in which the aesthetics clearly come into view. The lamp was originally made for the National Pensions Institute in Helsinki, built in the years 1952-1957. Like most of Aalto’s lighting designs, it has achieved a classical aura no longer bound to time or place.

 

Snapshots from our current exhibition at the Copenhagen design fair THE TIME IS NOW. The fair is open Friday 22^nd – Sunday 24^th November from 11:00 to 18:00.

 

 

 

THE TIME IS NOW, Museumsbygningen, Kastelsvej 18, DK-2100 Copenhagen Ø.

 

This weekend we are exhibiting at the Copenhagen design fair THE TIME IS NOW. We will present a selection of furniture by Kaare Klint (1888-1954) and Poul Kjærholm (1929-1980), focusing on the relationship between two of Denmark’s finest furniture architects.  The connection between Klint and Kjærholm has largely been obscured by the difference in their choice of primary material: wood and steel. However, the close parallels between the two begin with their very conception of furniture. Both men defined their work in terms of function and emphasized the universal nature of their creations.

Klint is known as one of the great pioneers of Modern design. As an architect, furniture designer and leading professor at the Department of Furniture Design at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts, he established the principles of modern Danish furniture by combining traditional craft techniques with a modernist emphasis on function and the rejection of applied ornament. His work is distinguished by an intense focus on a few noble materials, most often Cuban mahogany and Niger goatskin.

Poul Kjærholm trained as a cabinetmaker, but he soon abandoned wood in favor of steel. The result was a radical step beyond the conventions of Danish furniture art, but Kjærholm’s work is ultimately rooted in that tradition. He considered steel to be a natural material with the same artistic merit as wood and leather and he found that steel takes on patina just as beautifully as organic materials if it is polished correctly and given the correct surface treatment. Kjærholm was able to combine the rational simplicity and cool expression of the ideal industrial product with the warm texture and the perfect treatment of materials that characterize the handicraft tradition. The character of his furniture was completely dependent on the beauty of the materials and the quality of the construction.

Kjærholm’s furniture is thus the ultimate expression of Klint’s principles, transformed according to the properties of a different material. They both valued simple and honest structures; natural textures and colors instead of applied ornament and personal artistic effects. To many observers Kjærholm’s use of steel appears to be a fundamental break with the Danish furniture tradition established by Klint in the 1920s. But Kjærholm’s devotion to the standards of craftsmanship and his translation of Klint’s principles from wood into steel were sources of both renewal and continuity.

 

THE TIME IS NOW is open Friday 22^nd – Sunday 24^th November from 11:00 to 18:00.

The fair takes place at Museumsbygningen, Kastelsvej 18, DK-2100 Copenhagen Ø.

 

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One of the highlights of our current exhibition in Paris is the Chieftain chair, designed by Danish architect Finn Juhl (1912-1989). The chair was made for the annual Copenhagen  Cabinetmaker’s Guild Exhibition in 1949 and recognized as one of Juhl’s main accomplishments.

The present example in teak and black leather was made in close collaboration with the skilled craftsmen, cabinetmaker Niels Vodder and upholsterer Ivan Schlechter.

The Chieftain chair is a sizeable chair, yet it does not appear heavy. The distance between the seat and the armrest allows the surrounding space to flow freely between the upholstered elements, just as the frame with its triangular spaces is visually balanced and elegantly finished.

Juhl found inspiration in the shapes of African tribal weapons and utilitarian objects, as well as in early Egyptian furniture. The chair’s triangular construction, formed by the back posts, the oblique apron under the seat and the posts supporting the back, is a reworking of a motif known from the chairs found in the grave of Tutankhamen, just as the characteristic meeting between the back posts and support is a familiar motif from ancient Egyptian furniture.

In some of the early reviews from the Cabinetmaker’s Guild Exhibition critics found that the chair was too peculiar with armrests that looked like saddles. Others promptly found it comfortable and full of vitality. Today only admiration remains and the Chieftain chair has become synonymous with Juhl’s truly original talent.

We are looking forward to exhibiting at the Copenhagen design fair The Time is Now.

We hope to see you there.

 

Snapshots from our current exhibition in Paris:

Made by Hand: Danish Cabinetmakers’ Furniture 1945-1967

The exhibition continues until November 23.

In connection with our current exhibition in Paris we have published a new catalogue:

Made by Hand: Danish Cabinetmakers’ Furniture 1945-1967

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The catalogue features all of the exhibited pieces and an introductory text in English. It is available for purchase in our bookstore.

 

 

Dansk Møbelkunst Gallery is proud to present an exhibition highlighting the craftsmanship of Danish furniture art. The exhibition opens in our Paris gallery Friday 25 October and continues until 23 November.

The exhibition presents a selection of the best handcrafted furniture from the post-war period, chosen because of the exquisite workmanship that they display. The creative talents behind these pieces include renowned architects like Finn Juhl and Hans J. Wegner, yet the exhibition focuses primarily on pieces by designers who are less known, often due to their limited output.

Among them are Ejner Larsen & Axel Bender Madsen, whose Game table in rosewood and ebony from 1966 is one of the highlights of  the exhibition. Made in close collaboration with the skilled cabinetmaker Willy Beck, it is the ideal example of design, cabinetmaking and leatherwork in a refined synthesis. The table consists of a central square section with a chess board, and four rectangular fold-out compartments that are lined in leather. The alternation between the beautiful wooden surfaces and the black leather appears as an abstract continuation of the chessboard pattern and makes the different intersections of the compartments both functional and decorative.

We are very pleased to welcome you to our brand new website.

In order to give you a better overview of our present collection we have updated the design, improved the functionality and navigation and made more information available to you online.

Eager to share our knowledge of vintage Scandinavian furniture and design we have made our introductions to the most important designers and furniture architects more noticeable, just as we have set up a blog, where you will find the latest newsletters together with posts about new pieces, insights into our daily work, interviews and snapshots from our exhibitions.

Please enjoy browsing www.dmk.dk