HANS J WEGNER, "The Buck Chair", "JH523", Johannes Hansen, Denmark 1950's.
Upholstered seat, back and armrests with a later beige fabric, maker's mark: JOHANNES HANSEN COPENHAGEN DENMARK. Height 72 cm, seat height 35 cm.
Minor wear. Reupholstered.
C. H. Olesen, Wegner: Just One Good Chair, 2014, p. 205.
Johan Møller Nielsen: Wegner, Gyldendal 1965, p. 73.
In 1955 the model JH523 was presented at the cabinetmakers guild exhibition. For many years, the easy chair was commonly known among collectors for its beauty and challenging construction but only seen on archive photos and never in real life. There is no record from Johannes Hansen’s archive of how many chairs were made in total, but the chair is without a doubt one of Hans J. Wegner’s most rare and elegant easy chairs. The shape and silhouette gives references to its nickname, ”The Grasshopper”.
Hans Jørgensen Wegner was a Danish architect and furniture designer, well-known both in Denmark and internationally. He designed over 500 different chairs, including the Wishbone Chair (the "Y chair"), which today is considered a design icon. The chair is a magnificent example of Wegner's design, with its wooden frame and laced seat. Other examples of iconic chairs designed by Wegner are The Smiling Chair and Sawbuck Chair.
In his design, Wegner combined beauty and function. With a background as a cabinetmaker, he knew how to make ergonomic, high-quality furniture.
During his career, Wegner did several significant projects with other designers, such as Arne Jacobsen, Erik Møller, and Børge Mogensen. Wegner was also involved in the concepts Danish Modern and Scandinavian Modern after the Second World War.
Wegner's design classics are found in many Scandinavian homes and are represented in the most prominent design museums worldwide.