(smow) blog compact: Finn Juhl – a Danish Design Icon at Design museum Gent

By way of a final addendum to our “5 New Design Exhibitions for July 2014” post, the Design museum Gent are currently hosting an exhibition devoted to one of the true masters of 20th century design, Finn Juhl.

A designer who, as regular readers will be aware, we yield ground to no man to in our admiration for.

Finn Juhl in his Chieftain Chair (Photo: © Trapholt Museum Kolding, courtesy Design museum Gent)

Born in Frederiksberg, Denmark in 1912 Finn Juhl studied architecture at The Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts in Copenhagen. Following his graduation in 1934 Finn Juhl took up a position with the modernist architect Vilhelm Lauritzen, before establishing his own studio in 1945. As with many architects of his age Finn Juhl’s first furniture designs were for his own apartment, his public début coming at the 1937 Copenhagen Cabinetmaker’s Guild exhibition. In the same year Finn Juhl’s first works were produced by the Copenhagen cabinet maker Niels Vodder, the beginning of a partnership that lasted until 1959. In addition to Niels Vodder Finn Juhl’s furniture designs were also produced by France & Søn, Ludvig Pontoppidan, Bovirke and Baker Furniture from Grand Rapids, Michigan; a partnership which highlights just one of the differences between Finn Juhl and his compatriot Hans J. Wegner who initially refused to have his furniture produced in America for fear of losing quality of craftsmanship. Being a “pure” architect without any form of carpentry or general craft training Finn Juhl had no such qualms. He trusted that Americans were as skilled craftsmen as their Danish colleagues.

In addition to his furniture designs Finn Juhl also completed numerous notable architecture projects, including Bing & Grøndahl’s flagship store in Copenhagen and the chamber of the UN Trusteeship Council at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, in addition to teaching at the Copenhagen School of Interior Design and the Institute of Design, Chicago. Finn Juhl died in Copenhagen on  May 17th 1989.

Poet Sofa by Finn Juhl (Photo: © Trapholt Museum Kolding, courtesy Design museum Gent)

From a young age Finn Juhl had planned to follow a career in art history, his father, thankfully, manoeuvring him towards architecture. His passion for art however never left him and contemporary art, and for all abstract sculpture, served as a major influence on his architectural and furniture design work. With flowing, self-confident, almost regal objects such as the Poet Sofa, Chieftain Armchair, Pelican Chair or Eye Table Finn Juhl not only helped introduce complete new form languages and conventions into furniture design but also helped establish the tenacious myth of “Danish Design”.

Finn Juhl – a Danish Design Icon was originally shown in 2012 at the Trapholt Museum of Modern Art, Applied Art, Design And Furniture Design in Kolding, Denmark, and in addition to presenting examples of Finn Juhl’s work also explains the source of his various inspirations, how he interpreted them into his work, juxtapositions Finn Juhl with his contemporaries and so helps explain why Finn Juhl is such an important designer. And why his works are more than just endearing visual masterpieces.

Finn Juhl – a Danish Design Icon runs at Design museum Gent, Jan Breydelstraat 5, 9000 Gent until Sunday October 12th 2014.

Full details can be found at www.designmuseumgent.

Finn Juhl through One Collection. Here at CODE 10, Copenhagen