Hans J. Wegner

With more than 500 different chair designs alone Wegner is the most prolific Danish designer to date. His international breakthrough and greatest sales success came in 1949 when he designed ‘The round Chair’. The American Interiors Magazine called it “the world’s most beautiful chair” and it rose to further stardom when it was used in the televised presidential debates between Nixon and Kennedy in 1960. Since then it has been known simply as “The Chair”.

The real beauty of Wegner’s genius must be seen in context with his legendary and longstanding collaboration with master cabinetmaker Johannes Hansen. Every year from 1941-1966 they presented their work at the Cabinetmaker’s Guild Exhibitions. A cabinetmaker himself, Wegner took part in the entire production process. After completing the drawings, he was in the workshop with the cabinetmakers carrying out the prototypes and overseeing the workmanship. He had a deep understanding for the nature of wood, its possibilities as well as its limitations, and together with the cabinetmakers in the workshop he strived to find the most constructive solutions. But the solutions never compromised the beauty of the finished piece of furniture. On the contrary Wegner had a fondness for making the joinery so beautiful that it stood out and became a decorative part of the finished design. Hans Wegner’s design went on to win worldwide recognition through the 1950’s and 1960’s and his furniture, in particular his chairs, are to be found in the permanent collections of the world’s most prestigious museums.