Ole Wanscher

Ole Wanscher was an absolute integral part of aesthetic and functional modern Danish design. Wanscher studied under Kaare Klint at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts and after graduating he started working in Klint’s studio.

In 1927 he started his own Architecture firm specialised in furniture design with focus on classic craftsmanship. Upon the death of Kaare Klint in 1955, Wanscher replaced Klint as professor at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts. A position he held until his retirement in 1973.

Most of the furniture Wanscher produced was made out of expensive material such as rosewood and mahogany. This in turn made his designs very expensive and meant they were reserved for the upper class. He even designed many exclusive one-off pieces for private or commercial customers.

However, Wanscher also produced industrial designs of less expensive materials such as beech and oak. By doing so, he joined the trend of making affordable quality furniture for the people.

Wanscher’s was inspiration by classic designs as well as old Greek and Ancient Egyptian furniture. A lot of this inspiration came from his many travels abroad.

Design was not the only field Ole Wanscher excelled in. He also wrote several books on furniture design (1946 – 1955). His most noteworthy book is “Art of Furniture: 5000 Years of Furniture and Interiors”.

During his long design career, Wanscher earned numerous awards and accolades. Among those are the Copenhagen Carpenters’ Guild Annual Award and the gold medal at the Milan Triennale in 1960.

Ole Wanscher died in 1985 at the age of 82.

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