Finn Juhl was internationally recognized for his furniture design and was responsible for bringing ‘Danish Modern’ (A minimalistic style of design using Scandinavian wood) to America. Similar to Jacobsen, Juhl was pressured into a degree in architecture rather than following his dream of becoming an art historian.
His career as an architect started strongly, working for ten years at Vilhelm Lauritzen’s firm and working closely on collaborations with Viggo Boesen, Lauritzen’s second in command. Of these joint ventures, possibly the most notable was the re-designing of the Danmark’s Radio building.
Juhl left the firm in 1945 to set up his own interior and furniture design practice just outside of Copenhagen, after toying with these creative fields whilst working as an architect. His first chair, named the Pelican, was exhibited in 1939 and was met with some severe criticism. One industry professional even went as far as saying “aesthetics in the worst possible sense of the word”. However, this did not deter Juhl, as we went on to develop his design career and become one of the most respected Danish designers of the twentieth century. It could be said that Juhl was not as popular as his peers, yet he pushed the boundaries further than most, especially Arne Jacobsen and Børge Mogensen, who were less radical in their designs.
No comments:
Post a Comment