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21 December 2014

Arne Jacobsen

Who                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        Maybe the most known Danish architect and designer. His timeless and functional design made a name for the whole of Denmark. He was the first to make design  available for the mass-public in Denmark.

 Background                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        Arne Jacobsen (1902-1971) is known in the Netherlands for his design chairs. However, he mainly was an architect. But with around 350 design pieces he also belongs  with the group of most productive designers. As a boy, Jacobsen wanted to be an artist. His father, however, had other plans. After a short career as a mason, he  attended a study architecture in Copenhagen. Later, during 1956-1965, he was a professor in Holland. After his studies heworked from 1927-1929 at the architecture  bureau of Paul Holsoe, after which he started his own. He became a independent architect and interior designer in Hellerup. In 1932 he made a partnership with  furniture producer Fritz Hansen. Together they designed a successful series of chairs.         

 Style                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               The difference between Jacobsen and other modernists is his craftmanship, his finishing touch and eye for detail. For him, small details were as important as big  pieces. If he could, he would re-design the whole world. Arne Jacobsen was determined to make factory pieces which quality were equal to handmade pieces. The  designs of Arne Jacobsen are influenced by nature and the functional aspect is very important. Nowadays, traces of Jacobsens work are still visible everywhere.

 Stroming                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            Functionalism/Modernism 

 Known of                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             Who hasn't set on a butterfly chair? This chair is the most kopied design ever! The designs of Arne Jacobsen are not dated at all, because, in 2006, the butterfly chair  celebrated its 50 years anniversary and in 2008 the Egg reached the same age. Both chairs still sell at a tremendous rate. Also buildings, like the SAS Hotel in  Copenhagen and the Danish National bank are a concept. And not to forget the Cylindalijn. This, stainless steel, tabledesign won the ID-price in 1967 and the  International Design Award in 1968 of the American Institute of Interior Designers. When in comes to winning prices, Aren Jacobsen is a real early bird. At the age of  23, Jacobsen won a silver medal for a chair which was seen at a exhibition in Paris. Later, as a professor at the Art Academy, he receives multiple honorary degrees.  He worked with a number of labels, suchs as: Vola, Stelton & Michelsen, Louis Puolsen, Grautex and Olesen, Lunds and he worked together with Fritz Hansen for a long  time. That partnership made 'the Ant', 'the Egg' , 'the Swan' and the 'Butterfly-chair'. 

 More Arne Jacobsen                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        Book: A must have for all Jacobsen adepts: A hundreds of pages thick and many kilo's heavy book Arne Jacobsen, written by Carsten Thau and Kjeld Vindum.              Site: Purchase design by Arne Jacobsen? www.fritzhansen.com

 ++++++++++++++++ Bonus +++++++++++++++

 Inspirators                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          During a visit to Berlin, Jacobsen was inspired by Le Corbusier and Mies van der Rohe.

 Technique                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            The designs of Arne Jacobsen came to life as small sketches. After that they were modeled with cardboard on real scale. Jacobsen scraped his designs until he found  them to be absolutly perfect.

 Charachteristic                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   Arne Jacobsen loved children and often made up funny pranks. For him, normal sandwiches were way to boring, which is why he pilled up layers of marmalade and  cheese, in profused compositions. The generous designer could give a little girl fabric for a dress of his own production or he could bring apples, from his own garden,  with him for the staff in his studio.

Design by Arne Jacobsen