|
|
Dansk Møbelkunst is delighted to announce the first exhibition in the new Zurich gallery: KLINT + KJÆRHOLM. The exhibition will be the first comparative overview examining the relationship between two of Denmark’s finest furniture architects.
The connection between Kaare Klint (1888-1954) and Poul Kjærholm (1929-1980) has largely been obscured by the difference in their choice of primary material: wood and steel. In fact, 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.
Kaare Klint was one of the great pioneers of modern design. By combining traditional craft techniques with a Modernist emphasis on function, he charted the course for Danish furniture in the 20th-century. His own work was distinguished by an intense focus on a few noble materials, most often Cuban mahogany and Niger goatskin. The beauty of these materials imbues his furniture with an aura of quality that was Klint’s modest, and unmistakable, signature.
Poul Kjærholm was trained as a cabinetmaker, but he abandoned wood in favor of steel. The result was a radical step beyond the conventions of Danish furniture-art, but his work was ultimately rooted in that tradition. The character of his furniture is completely dependent on the beauty of the materials and the quality of the construction. In fact, Kjærholm’s furniture is the ultimate expression of Klint’s principles, transformed according to the properties of a different material.
The exhibition will be accompanied by a fully illustrated catalogue that includes a commissioned essay by Michael Sheridan. Mr. Sheridan is an internationally-renowned scholar of Danish architecture and design, and the leading authority on the work of Poul Kjærholm.
http://www.dmk.dk/shop Exhibition: 28 May – 19 June 2010
|
