Designer Profile: Finn Juhl — the father of Danish Modern
Finn Juhl photographed in the Trustee Council Chamber c. 1952
From art history to making history
Finn Juhl was born on the 30th January 1912 in Frederiksberg, Denmark. From an early age he aspired to become an art historian, but his father, a textile wholesaler, considered this a flimsy career and persuaded Juhl instead to study architecture. Juhl joined the Architecture School at the Royal Danish Acedemy of Fine Arts where he studied under Kay Fisker for four years, from 1930–1934. Upon graduation, he worked for ten years at Vilhelm Lauritzen’s architectural firm, in close collaboration with Viggo Boesen. He worked on many high profile projects, such as the interior design of the national Danish broadcaster Danmarks Radio’s Radio Building, and in 1943 he received the C.F Hansen prize for young architects.
The birth of the father of Danish Modern
In 1945 he decided to leave Vilhelm Lauritzens company to set up his own design practice in Copenhagen, which specialised in the design of furniture and interiors. He worked with, among others, cabinet maker Niels Vodder and he quickly became known for making unusual, expressive and sculptural pieces, which were influenced by modern, abstract art. It wasnt until a meeting with the famous American architect Edgar Kaufmann Jr that Juhl’s career began to take off internationally. In 1952 Juhl was involved in the design of the new headquarters of the United Nations in New York, which was one of his biggest projects to date. He was also commissioned to oversee the interiors of the Trusteeship Council Chamber — this is what sealed his name in the design world of being “The father of Danish Modern”.
Image of the Trusteeship Council Chamber in 1952
Although Finn Juhl is also known for architecture and interior design, it was furniture design that was his passion. Over his illustrious career he has designed many iconic pieces of furniture, but the three that have arguably received the most attention were the Pelican Chair (1940), NV-45 chair (1945) and the Chieftain chair (1949); each of which is unique, yet remains true to Juhl’s distinctive style. Juhl originally found inspiration through the abstract sculptor Jean Arp. The inspiration can be seen as a motif through most of his designs, but especially his early Pelican chair. Through his working career Finn Juhl has received many awards, including three gold medals at the XIth Triennale in Milan 1957, the1960 Kaufmann International Design and the 1978 Honorary Royal Designer For Industry in London.
the Chieftain chair (1949)
The legacy continues
On the 17th May 1989, after a long and incredibly successful career spanning 4 decades, Finn Juhl died in Ordrup, Denmark. Even though Juhl has now passed, his legacy still lives on in the design world and in 2012 the Chieftain chair won the Danish Design Award. The jury remarked: “Today, the Chieftain Chair stands as an inspiration to a new generation of furniture designers and as proof that attention to quality, international calibre, and a will to break away from tradition can pave the way to make a difference as a designer”.
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