Danish design
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Danish design is a style of functionalistic design and architecture that was developed in mid-20th century. Influenced by the German
Bauhaus The Staatliches Bauhaus (), commonly known as the Bauhaus (), was a German art school operational from 1919 to 1933 that combined crafts and the fine arts.Oxford Dictionary of Art and Artists (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 4th edn., 200 ...
school, many
Danish Danish may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the country of Denmark People * A national or citizen of Denmark, also called a "Dane," see Demographics of Denmark * Culture of Denmark * Danish people or Danes, people with a Danish ance ...
designers used the new industrial technologies, combined with ideas of simplicity and functionalism to design buildings, furniture and household objects, many of which have become iconic and are still in use and production. Prominent examples are the
Egg chair An egg is an organic vessel grown by an animal to carry a possibly fertilized egg cell (a zygote) and to incubate from it an embryo within the egg until the embryo has become an animal fetus that can survive on its own, at which point the a ...
, the PH lamps and the
Sydney Opera House The Sydney Opera House is a multi-venue performing arts centre in Sydney. Located on the foreshore of Sydney Harbour, it is widely regarded as one of the world's most famous and distinctive buildings and a masterpiece of 20th-century architec ...
(Australia).


History

The
Danish Culture Canon The Danish Culture Canon ( da, Kulturkanonen) consists of 108 works of cultural excellence in eight categories: architecture, visual arts, design and crafts, film, literature, music, performing arts, and children's culture. An initiative of Brian ...
credits
Thorvald Bindesbøll Thorvald Bindesbøll (21 July 1846 – 27 August 1908) was a Danish National romantic architect, sculptor and ornamental artist. He designed the Dragon Fountain, Copenhagen (''Dragespringvandet'') and is perhaps best known as the creator of t ...
(1846–1908) with early contributions to design in the areas of
ceramics A ceramic is any of the various hard, brittle, heat-resistant and corrosion-resistant materials made by shaping and then firing an inorganic, nonmetallic material, such as clay, at a high temperature. Common examples are earthenware, porcelain ...
,
jewellery Jewellery ( UK) or jewelry (U.S.) consists of decorative items worn for personal adornment, such as brooches, rings, necklaces, earrings, pendants, bracelets, and cufflinks. Jewellery may be attached to the body or the clothes. From a wester ...
,
bookbinding Bookbinding is the process of physically assembling a book of codex format from an ordered stack of ''signatures'', sheets of paper folded together into sections that are bound, along one edge, with a thick needle and strong thread. Cheaper, b ...
,
silver Silver is a chemical element with the Symbol (chemistry), symbol Ag (from the Latin ', derived from the Proto-Indo-European wikt:Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/h₂erǵ-, ''h₂erǵ'': "shiny" or "white") and atomic number 47. A soft, whi ...
and
furniture Furniture refers to movable objects intended to support various human activities such as seating (e.g., stools, chairs, and sofas), eating (tables), storing items, eating and/or working with an item, and sleeping (e.g., beds and hammocks). Fu ...
although he is known in the rest of the world for creating the
Carlsberg Carlsberg may refer to: Places * Carlsberg (district), a district in Copenhagen, Denmark ** Carlsberg station, its train station * Carlsberg, Germany, a municipality in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany * Carlsberg Fjord, Greenland Other uses * Carlsbe ...
logo (1904), still in use today. The Canon also includes
Knud V. Engelhardt Knud Valdemar Engelhardt (11 February 1882 – 15 April 1931) was Denmark's first industrial designer. Influenced by the architect Thorvald Bindesbøll, Engelhardt understood that successful production depended on both an industrial and a graphic ...
(1882–1931) for a more industrial approach, especially in the rounded contours of his electric
tram A tram (called a streetcar or trolley in North America) is a rail vehicle that travels on tramway tracks on public urban streets; some include segments on segregated right-of-way. The tramlines or networks operated as public transport are ...
car designs which were widely copied.. In the area of
textiles Textile is an umbrella term that includes various fiber-based materials, including fibers, yarns, filaments, threads, different fabric types, etc. At first, the word "textiles" only referred to woven fabrics. However, weaving is not the ...
,
Marie Gudme Leth Marie Christine Mathea Gudme Leth (5 October 1895 – 17 December 1997) was a Danish textile printer who pioneered screen printing for industrial production. In 1941, she opened her own workshop where she first concentrated on prints of flowers and ...
(1895–1997) brought the
screen printing Screen printing is a printing technique where a mesh is used to transfer ink (or dye) onto a substrate, except in areas made impermeable to the ink by a blocking stencil. A blade or squeegee is moved across the screen to fill the open mes ...
process to Denmark, opening a factory in 1935 which allowed her colourful patterns to be manufactured on an industrial basis.. August Sandgren introduced functionalism in the design of his masterful bookbindings. In the late 1940s, shortly after the end of the
Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, conditions in Denmark were ideally suited to success in design. The emphasis was on furniture but
architecture Architecture is the art and technique of designing and building, as distinguished from the skills associated with construction. It is both the process and the product of sketching, conceiving, planning, designing, and constructing building ...
, silver, ceramics,
glass Glass is a non-crystalline, often transparent, amorphous solid that has widespread practical, technological, and decorative use in, for example, window panes, tableware, and optics. Glass is most often formed by rapid cooling (quenching) of ...
and textiles also benefitted from the trend. Denmark's
late industrialisation Alice Amsden, building on the insights of Gerschenkron, identifies Late Industrialization as a particular form of industrialization the study of which is useful for those interested in study of the prospects for material progress in developing co ...
combined with a tradition of high-quality
craftsmanship Workmanship is a human attribute relating to knowledge and skill at performing a task. Workmanship is also a quality imparted to a product. The type of work may include the creation of handcrafts, art, writing, machinery and other products. Workman ...
formed the basis of gradual progress towards industrial production. After the end of the war, Europeans were keen to find novel approaches such as the light wood furniture from Denmark. Last but not least, support in Denmark for freedom of individual expression assisted the cause. The newly established Furniture School at the
Royal Danish Academy of Art The Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts ( da, Det Kongelige Danske Kunstakademi - Billedkunst Skolerne) has provided education in the arts for more than 250 years, playing its part in the development of the art of Denmark. History The Royal Dani ...
played a considerable part in the development of furniture design.
Kaare Klint Kaare Klint (15 December 1888 – 28 March 1954) was a Danish architect and furniture designer, known as the father of modern Danish furniture design. Style was epitomized by clean, pure lines, use of the best materials of his time and super ...
taught functionalism based on the size and proportions of objects, wielding considerable influence.
Hans J. Wegner Hans Jørgensen Wegner (April 2, 1914 - January 26, 2007) was a Danish furniture designer. His work, along with a concerted effort from several of his manufacturers, contributed to the international popularity of mid-century Danish design. His sty ...
, who had been trained as a cabinetmaker, contributed with a unique sense of form, especially in designing chairs. As head of
FDB Møbler FDB Møbler is a Danish furniture company established in 1942. It was formerly a subsidiary of FDB (now called ''Coop amba''). Børge Mogensen served as the design studio manager and many of his designs are sold by the company. Mogensen was succ ...
,
Børge Mogensen Børge Mogensen (13 April 1914 – 5 October 1972), was a Danish furniture designer. He was one of the most important among a generation of furniture designers who made the concept of “Danish Modern” known throughout the world. Together with ...
designed simple and robust objects of furniture for the average Danish family.
Finn Juhl Finn Juhl (30 January 1912 – 17 May 1989) was a Danish architect, interior and industrial designer, most known for his furniture design. He was one of the leading figures in the creation of Danish design in the 1940s and he was the designer ...
demonstrated an individualistic approach in designing chairs with an appealing but functional look. In the early 1950s, American design also influenced Danish furniture. The American
Charles Eames Charles Ormond Eames Jr. (June 17, 1907 – August 21, 1978) was an American designer, architect and filmmaker. In professional partnership with his spouse Ray Kaiser Eames, he was responsible for groundbreaking contributions in the field of a ...
designed and manufactured chairs of moulded wood and steel pipes. These encouraged
Arne Jacobsen Arne Emil Jacobsen, Hon. FAIA () 11 February 1902 – 24 March 1971) was a Danish architect and furniture designer. He is remembered for his contribution to architectural functionalism and for the worldwide success he enjoyed with simple we ...
to design his worldfamous Ant Chair, Denmark's first industrially manufactured chair. Furthermore, as
Shaker furniture __NOTOC__ Shaker furniture is a distinctive style of furniture developed by the United Society of Believers in Christ's Second Appearing, commonly known as Shakers, a religious sect that had guiding principles of simplicity, utility and honesty. ...
—and especially its reputation for stripped down chairs—began to be more and more known abroad, it also influenced Danish designers.
Poul Kjærholm Poul Kjærholm (1929 – 1980) was a Danish designer. Born in Østervrå, Denmark, Kjærholm began his career as a cabinetmaker's apprentice with Gronbech in 1948, attending the Danish School of Arts and Crafts in Copenhagen in 1952. I ...
,
Verner Panton Verner Panton (13 February 1926 – 5 September 1998) is considered one of Denmark's most influential 20th-century furniture and interior designers. During his career, he created innovative and futuristic designs in a variety of materials, especi ...
and Nanna Ditzel followed a few years later, continuing the successful story of Danish design. Kjærholm worked mainly in steel and leather, Panton left Denmark during the 1960s to continue designing imaginative but highly unconventional plastic chairs while Nanna Ditzel, who also had a strongly individualistic approach, was successful in helping to renew Danish furniture design in the 1980s.


Modern trends

During the 1970s, Verner Panton made some of his most important designs, including the Pantonova and the 1-2-3 System. Danish furniture design during the 1980s did not include prominent contributions. By contrast, industrial designers began to prosper, making use of principles such as focus on the user, as well as attention to materials and to detail. For example, there are well known Danish designers, like Tobias Jacobsen (the grandson of
Arne Jacobsen Arne Emil Jacobsen, Hon. FAIA () 11 February 1902 – 24 March 1971) was a Danish architect and furniture designer. He is remembered for his contribution to architectural functionalism and for the worldwide success he enjoyed with simple we ...
), who focused on the single elements of a violin when creating his chair "Vio" or on a boomerang when designing his eponymous sideboard. The Bernadotte & Bjørn studio, established in 1950, was the first to specialise in industrial design, with an emphasis on office machines, domestic appliances and functional articles such as the thermos jug. The electronics manufacturer
Bang & Olufsen Bang & Olufsen (B&O) is a Danish high-end consumer electronics company that designs and manufactures audio products, television sets, and telephones. It was founded in 1925 by Peter Bang and Svend Olufsen, who designed a radio to work with alt ...
, in collaboration with Bernadotte & Bjørn and later with
Jacob Jensen Jacob Jensen (29 April 1926 – 15 May 2015) was a Danish industrial designer best known for his work with Bang & Olufsen. Jensen designed numerous popular high-end consumer products, developing a functional minimalism style that formed a promin ...
and David Lewis, went on to excel in modern design work. Around the same time, the Stelton company collaborated with
Arne Jacobsen Arne Emil Jacobsen, Hon. FAIA () 11 February 1902 – 24 March 1971) was a Danish architect and furniture designer. He is remembered for his contribution to architectural functionalism and for the worldwide success he enjoyed with simple we ...
and Erik Magnussen to produce their iconic vacuum jug, a huge international success. Another successful design field is medical technology. Danish design companies like 3PART,
Designit Designit (imperative mood, meaning 'design it' and pronounced 'dɪˈzʌɪn ɪt') is an international strategic design firm founded in Aarhus, Denmark, in 1991 by Anders Geert Jensen and Mikal Hallstrup. In 1994, David Fellah joined the company as e ...
and CBD have worked in this area with individual designers such as Steve McGugan and Anders Smith. In 2002 the Danish Government and the City of Copenhagen launched an effort to establish a world event for design in Copenhagen. Originally understood as a tool for branding traditional Danish design, the non-profit organization ''INDEX:'' shifted focus after worldwide research and coined the concept of Design to Improve Life, which rapidly became celebrated in Denmark and around the world. The organization now hands out the biggest design award in the world biannual in Copenhagen, tours large scale outdoor exhibition around the world, run educational program as well as design labs and hosts a global network. Today, there is strong focus on design in Denmark as industry increasingly appreciates the importance of design in the business environment. In addition, as part of its trade and industry policy, the
Danish government The Cabinet of Denmark ( da, regering) has been the chief executive body and the government of the Kingdom of Denmark since 1848. The Cabinet is led by the Prime Minister. There are around 25 members of the Cabinet, known as "ministers", all of wh ...
has launched the DesignDenmark initiative which aims to restore Denmark to the international design elite.


Architecture

Modern
architecture Architecture is the art and technique of designing and building, as distinguished from the skills associated with construction. It is both the process and the product of sketching, conceiving, planning, designing, and constructing building ...
has also contributed to the concept of Danish design.
Arne Jacobsen Arne Emil Jacobsen, Hon. FAIA () 11 February 1902 – 24 March 1971) was a Danish architect and furniture designer. He is remembered for his contribution to architectural functionalism and for the worldwide success he enjoyed with simple we ...
was not just a furniture designer but one of the leading architects of his times. Among his achievements are the Bellevue Theater and restaurant, Klampenborg (1936), the Århus City Hall (with
Erik Møller Svend Erik Møller (7 November 1909 – 24 March 2002) was a Danish architect. Møller used to work with the famous Danish architect and designer Arne Jacobsen. Together they won the competition to design the new City Hall in Aarhus, which was ...
; 1939–42) and the SAS Royal Hotel (1958–60).
Jørn Utzon Jørn Oberg Utzon, , Hon. FAIA (; 9 April 191829 November 2008) was a Danish architect. He was most notable for designing the Sydney Opera House in Australia, completed in 1973. When it was declared a World Heritage Site on 28 June 2007, Utzo ...
(1918–2008), Denmark's most widely recognized architect, is remembered for his expressionist
Sydney Opera House The Sydney Opera House is a multi-venue performing arts centre in Sydney. Located on the foreshore of Sydney Harbour, it is widely regarded as one of the world's most famous and distinctive buildings and a masterpiece of 20th-century architec ...
(1966) and the later
Bagsværd Church Bagsværd Church is a Lutheran church in Bagsværd on the northern outskirts of Copenhagen, Denmark. Designed in 1968 by Jørn Utzon, it was completed in 1976.Henning Larsen Henning Larsen, Hon. FAIA (20 August 1925 – 22 June 2013) was a Danish architect. He is internationally known for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs building in Riyadh and the Copenhagen Opera House. Larsen studied at the Royal Danish Academy ...
(b. 1925) is the architect who designed the boldly modern
Copenhagen Opera House The Copenhagen Opera House (in Danish usually called Operaen, literally ''The opera'') is the national opera house of Denmark, and among the most modern opera houses in the world. It is also one of the most expensive opera houses ever built at a ...
on the island of Holmen which was completed in 2005. Danish architecture is currently in a new-wave era, not receiving more attention since the golden age of Arne Jacobsen and Jørn Utzon, being focused on function and concept rather than aesthetics and an impeccable finish.
Bjarke Ingels Bjarke Bundgaard Ingels (; born 2 October 1974) is a Danish architect, founder and creative partner of Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG). In Denmark, Ingels became well known after designing two housing complexes in Ørestad: VM Houses and Mountain D ...
of
Bjarke Ingels Group Bjarke Ingels Group, often referred to as BIG, is a Copenhagen and New York based group of architects, designers and builders operating within the fields of architecture, urbanism, research and development. The office is currently involved in a ...
(BIG) and Dan Stubbergaard's architectural firm Cobe who met at the former drawing office
Plot Plot or Plotting may refer to: Art, media and entertainment * Plot (narrative), the story of a piece of fiction Music * ''The Plot'' (album), a 1976 album by jazz trumpeter Enrico Rava * The Plot (band), a band formed in 2003 Other * ''Plot' ...
, are both part of the new wave. Mentionable projects are BIG's
Amager Bakke Amager Bakke (Amager Hill), also known as Amager Slope or Copenhill, is a combined heat and power waste-to-energy plant and recreational facility in Amager, Copenhagen Denmark, located prominently within view of the city's downtown. The facility ...
(Copenhill) and Cobe's
Nørreport Station Nørreport station is an S-train, metro and main line railway station in Copenhagen, Denmark. It is located in the district of Indre By, and is named after the historic '' Nørreport city gate'', at the original location of which it is located. I ...
.


Recent achievements

Today, the concept of Danish design is thriving in an ever-wider number of fields. Among recent highlights are: * The
Museum of Modern Art The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) is an art museum located in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, on 53rd Street between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. It plays a major role in developing and collecting modern art, and is often identified as one of ...
in New York has chosen to outfit 95% of its new
Yoshio Taniguchi Yoshio Taniguchi (谷口 吉生, ''Taniguchi Yoshio''; born 1937) is a Japanese architect best known for his redesign of the Museum of Modern Art in New York City, which was reopened November 20, 2004. Critics have emphasized Taniguchi's fusion ...
-designed home with furniture by Danish design company GUBI. * The Danish Zenvo ST1 supercar. * The Evita Peroni suite of women's accessories which now has some 300 stores in 30 countries. * The
Halifax Central Library The Halifax Central Library is a public library in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. It is located on the corner of Spring Garden Road and Queen Street in Downtown Halifax. It serves as the flagship library of the Halifax Public Libraries, repla ...
in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, was designed by the Danish architectural firm Schmidt Hammer Lassen. After it was completed in 2014, it has received widespread acclaim and several architecture awards.


Designers

Among the most successful designers associated with the concept are
Børge Mogensen Børge Mogensen (13 April 1914 – 5 October 1972), was a Danish furniture designer. He was one of the most important among a generation of furniture designers who made the concept of “Danish Modern” known throughout the world. Together with ...
(1914–72),
Finn Juhl Finn Juhl (30 January 1912 – 17 May 1989) was a Danish architect, interior and industrial designer, most known for his furniture design. He was one of the leading figures in the creation of Danish design in the 1940s and he was the designer ...
(1912–89),
Hans Wegner Hans Jørgensen Wegner (April 2, 1914 - January 26, 2007) was a Danish furniture designer. His work, along with a concerted effort from several of his manufacturers, contributed to the international popularity of mid-century Danish design. His sty ...
(1914–2007),
Arne Jacobsen Arne Emil Jacobsen, Hon. FAIA () 11 February 1902 – 24 March 1971) was a Danish architect and furniture designer. He is remembered for his contribution to architectural functionalism and for the worldwide success he enjoyed with simple we ...
(1902–71),
Poul Kjærholm Poul Kjærholm (1929 – 1980) was a Danish designer. Born in Østervrå, Denmark, Kjærholm began his career as a cabinetmaker's apprentice with Gronbech in 1948, attending the Danish School of Arts and Crafts in Copenhagen in 1952. I ...
(1929–80),
Poul Henningsen Poul Henningsen (9 September 1894 – 31 January 1967) was a Danish author, critic, architect, and designer. In Denmark, where he often is referred to simply as PH, he was one of the leading figures of the cultural life of Denmark between the Worl ...
(1894–1967) and
Verner Panton Verner Panton (13 February 1926 – 5 September 1998) is considered one of Denmark's most influential 20th-century furniture and interior designers. During his career, he created innovative and futuristic designs in a variety of materials, especi ...
(1926–98). Other designers of note include Kristian Solmer Vedel (1923–2003) in the area of industrial design, Jens Harald Quistgaard (1919–2008) for kitchen furniture and implements,
Gertrud Vasegaard Gertrud Vasegaard, née Hjorth, (1913–2007) was a Danish ceramist, remembered above all for her Tea service (Vasegaard), tea set (1956) which was included in the Danish Culture Canon. A designer for Bing & Grøndahl and Royal Copenhagen, she also ...
(1913–2007) for ceramics, and
Ole Wanscher Ole Wanscher (16 September 1903 – 27 December 1985) was a Danish furniture designer. He was one of the leading figures in the Scandinavian Design movement (a part of Mid-Century Modernism), at a time when Scandinavian Design achieved worldwide ...
(1903–85), who had a classical approach to furniture design.


Museums

* The
Danish Museum of Art & Design The Designmuseum Denmark () is a museum in Copenhagen for Danish and international design and crafts. It features works of famous Danish designers like Arne Jacobsen, Jacob Jensen and Kaare Klint, who was one of the two architects who remodeled ...
(or, ''Designmuseum Denmark'') in
Copenhagen Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a proper population of around 815.000 in the last quarter of 2022; and some 1.370,000 in the urban area; and the wider Copenhagen metropolitan ar ...
exhibits many of the artifacts associated with Danish design, especially furniture. * The New York
Museum of Modern Art The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) is an art museum located in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, on 53rd Street between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. It plays a major role in developing and collecting modern art, and is often identified as one of ...
also has a large Danish design collection. * The
Danish Design Centre The Danish Design Center (DDC) is Denmark’s national center for design. Established in 1978, DDC is a non-profit foundation under the Danish Ministry of Business, Industry and Financial Affairs. The role of DDC is to promote the use of design in ...
in the centre of Copenhagen has both permanent and special exhibitions promoting Danish design.


See also

*
BoConcept BoConcept is a Danish retail furniture chain with 337 stores in 65 countries around the world. The first BoConcept Brand Store opened in Paris in 1993, but from 2006 onwards, all furniture is sold through franchisees. BoConcept specializes in c ...
*
Carl Hansen & Søn Carl Hansen & Søn is a family-owned Danish furniture company based on the island of Funen. Carl Hansen & Søn is the company behind many classical furniture designs by leading figures of the Danish modern movement but the company is also collabor ...
*
Danish Culture Canon The Danish Culture Canon ( da, Kulturkanonen) consists of 108 works of cultural excellence in eight categories: architecture, visual arts, design and crafts, film, literature, music, performing arts, and children's culture. An initiative of Brian ...
* Anders Nørgaard *
FDB Møbler FDB Møbler is a Danish furniture company established in 1942. It was formerly a subsidiary of FDB (now called ''Coop amba''). Børge Mogensen served as the design studio manager and many of his designs are sold by the company. Mogensen was succ ...


References


External links

* . * . * . * .
Danish design
on
Dezeen ''Dezeen'' is an online architecture, interiors and design magazine based in London, with offices in Hoxton and also previously in New York City. History ''Dezeen'' was launched in London by Marcus Fairs at the end of November 2006. Its New Yo ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Danish Design Industrial design Architectural styles Functionalist architecture Art movements Danish art Architectural design