HANS J WEGNER, a "JH512" folding chair for Johannes Hansen, 1940-50's.
Oak and cane, maker's mark, height 75 cm.
Wear. Damages.
Grete Jalk [ed.]. "40 Years of Danish Furniture Design", Vol. 3, pp. 98-99.
Noritsugu Oda: "Danish Chairs", p. 110.
The model was deisgned in 1949.
The folding chair was a recurrent theme of Hans J. Wegner since he in 1946 designed his first folding chair.
When Wegner three years later presented the easy chair JH 512, it was alongside several other iconic furniture at the cabinetmakers guild exhibition in 1949. A year known to be the symbol of his international breaktrough.
The folding chair was created from a social awareness that many people lived in small flats, which required flexible interior designs. The chair was therefore designed to be folded, hung on the wall and taken down when needed.
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.