HANS J WEGNER, a chair by cabinetmaker Th. Pedersen for the Nyborg Public Library, Denmark, 1938.
Mahogany, seat height 42 cm, height 84 cm.
Minor wear.
Nyborg Public Library.
Drawings from Nyborg Public Library
Arkitekten 1940 (p. 49-56)
Nyborg Folkebibliotek, Bygge-Forum 1945, p. 207-208.
Hans J. Wegner designed his first windsor chair for Nyborg Public Library in 1938. The backrest of the chair was intended to be made from a single piece of bended wood, but unfortunatly this was not possible for the cabinetmaker Th. Pedersen & Sons from Aarhus.
The ”reading room” chair up for sale is made in mahogany and is to be seen as a first step towards Wegner’s more famous windsor chairs, such as the peacock chair from 1947.
The chair is designed and made only for Nyborg public library and is also Wegner’s first example of his ”international design signature” by making visible joints and highlighting the materials used, instead of covering them up.
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.