Hans J. Wegner

Hans J. Wegner is without a doubt one of the great masters of Danish design. Particularly known for his chairs that, according to Wegner, are not just pieces of furniture but art made to support the human form.

Wegner was born in Southern Denmark, son of a shoemaker and on track to follow in his fathers footstep. However, at the age of 14 Wegner entered into an apprenticeship with a local cabinet maker. It quickly became evident that he had an enormous talent designing chairs and working with wood. After the apprenticeship Wegner moved to Copenhagen and attended the School of Arts and Crafts from 1936 to 1938 before setting out as a furniture designer.

When Wegner was 24 years old he was employed by Arne Jackobsen, Flemming Lassen and Erik Møller, three titans of the design world. Together they designed nearly all the furniture for Aarhus (the second largest city in Denmark) city hall. During the project, he met Inga Helbo, a secretary in Mr. Jacobsen’s office. They later married.

Throughout his career, Wegner had a fondness for integrating wood into his chairs, and he had a special talent for using the characteristics of the material to create surprising, sculptural lines.

Wegner was one of the most creative, innovative, and prolific. Often refer to as the mast of chairs, he designed over 500 chairs out of which 100 was put into production and many have become design icons. He gained great recognition for his furniture and won several awards and prizes. Some of his chairs are on permanent display at MoMA in New York.

In 1960 CBS brought the Wegner’s Round Chair in during the first nationally televised presidential debate between John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon. The chair created so much interest that after the programme it was simply referred to as ‘The Chair’ by commentators and critics alike.

As Wegner got older, his health started declining and he withdrew from work. Wegner retired in 1993 and his daughter Marianne took over his studio.