Danish architect Finn Juhl (1912 – 1989) the master of organic and innovative furniture, is known as one of the leading designers of the 20th century. In the 1940s he broke with the established furniture tradition and designed a number of expressive and sculptural creations that regenerated Danish furniture design and paved the way for the international recognition of modernist Danish furniture.
Finn Juhl’s design is characterized by an original and unmistakable artistic touch. For Juhl the mantra “form follows function” was not enough. On the contrary, the understanding of furniture as being closely related to the experimental idioms of fine arts was important to him: “The craftsman’s ability to form is probably the same as that of a sculptor. A chair is not just a product of decorative art in a space; it is a form and a space in itself” – he wrote in 1952. Juhl often found his inspiration in contemporary art, in particular in the organic forms of modern abstract sculpture. His furniture is characterized by a playful and light elegance and he is known as a pioneer of the organic variant of international modernism. Among them the “NV-48 bench and chair”, designed for the Copenhagen Cabinetmakers’ Guild Exhibition in 1948. In this chair the seat and back float above the wooden frame as an accentuation of the balance between “the supporting” and “the supported” elements – creating a very organic, light and slender form.
