Hans J. Wegner

Denmark　1914 - 2007

Hans J. Wegner has been called “The Master of the Chair”, and is one of the most renown and influential furniture designers of the twentieth century, one of the most chair artist's of last century.. Hans J. Wegner graduated from the Danish School of Arts and Crafts and the Architectural Academy in Copenhagen in 1936. Wegner received several major design prizes, from the Lunning prize in 1951 and the 1953 Grand Prix of the Milan Triennale, to the Danish Eckersberg medal and the Prince Eugen medal in Sweden. In 1959, he was made honorary Royal designer for industry by the Royal Society of Arts in London, and received Citation of Merit at the Pratt Institute in New York. In 1993, the Tønder Watertower was renovated to a museum for Hans J. Wegner's work.

Some of Wegner’s most famous works include “The Peacock Chair”, Teddy bear chair”, and the “Shell Chair” that he designed in 1948 to enter the furnishings competition at MoMA. Unquestionably, the most famous work remains “The Chair”, which has probably had the most exposure, and was awarded with the title, “The Most Beautiful Chair in the World” by American publication Interiors. It rose to prominence in the 1961 televised debate between Richard Nixon and John F. Kennedy. Both presidential candidates sat in “The Chair” during the debate. Since then, “The Chair” can be frequently spotted at major international events, bringing Wegner’s name to new heights. His works have also been crowned as “eternal” and “immortal”, and is present in multiple international collections.