Arne Jacobsen

(b Copenhagen, 11 Feb 1902; d Copenhagen, 24 March 1971). Danish architect and designer. He studied at the Arkitektskole of the Kunstakademi in Copenhagen (Dip. Arch., 1928). He began his career with elegant single-family houses influenced by Danish country house architecture of c. 1800. However, as a result of a series of prominent commissions, he soon became known outside architectural circles as an advocate of ultra-modern architecture, although he was disinclined to support 'trends' in architecture or issue manifestos. In 1929, in collaboration with Flemming Lassen (1902-84), he designed the cylindrical 'House of the Future' for the Bygge- og Bolig Udstillingen i Forum (Building and home exhibition in the Forum) in Copenhagen, and over the next few years he left his mark on Copenhagen's newly laid-out riviera at Klampenborg with such projects as the beach development at Bellevue (1932), the housing complex Bellavista (1934), Bellevue Summer Theatre (1937) and the service station at Skovshoved harbour (1938). In these projects Jacobsen drew upon the central European early modernist white Cubist style, also revealing his well-developed feeling for architectonic form and for the characteristics of the site. Stelling's House (1937-8), Gammel Torv 6, Copenhagen, despite its modest and restrained modernism, aroused violent protest, although it was later regarded as a model example of successful new building in historical surroundings.

See the Abbreviations for further details.

---

(1902-71)

After training as a mason in Copenhagen Jacobsen studied architecture from 1924 to 1927 under architect-designer Kay Fisker and Kaj Gottlobat at the Royal Danish Academy of Arts. After three years in civic architectural practice he established his own office in 1930, many of his early architectural projects being influenced by the spirit of Modernism that he had encountered at first hand in Germany. However, despite exhibiting a chair at the 1925 Paris Exposition des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels and designing wallpapers and textiles whilst in Sweden in the early 1940s, he did not turn to industrially produced furniture design until 1950 when he worked in collaboration with the Danish furniture manufacturer Fritz Hansen. This culminated in the design of three classic chairs, the Ant (1951-2), the Swan (1958), and the Egg (1958). The Ant chair was influenced by the moulded plywood experiments of Charles and Ray Eames. Jacobsen's distinctive three-legged design was far more progressive than the work of his near contemporary Hans Wegner, who infused traditional designs with a contemporary spirit. Awarded a Grand Prix at the XI Milan Triennale of 1957, it did much to establish Jacobsen's international reputation. The original was formed from teak ply, a wood favoured by Danish Modernists, but has been subsequently produced in many different colours and remains a best-seller. The organic, almost sculptural Swan and Egg armchairs, constructed of upholstered fibreglass shells on aluminium bases, were for the SAS Royal Hotel in Copenhagen, a project for which Jacobsen designed all the elements from the building to furnishing textiles and tableware. He had a thorough knowledge of materials and manufacturing techniques and worked in a variety of media other than domestic and office furniture. This included lighting for the Louis Poulsen Company, such as the 1956-7 Visor desk lamp, and minimalist cutlery for A. Michelsen, including the AJ model 600 range of 1957 which was later used in the 1968 science-fiction film 2001: A Space Odyssey.

(1902–71)

Danish architect, he was influenced by International Modernism in the 1920s, as is demonstrated in his own house (1928) and in the Bellavista Estate, Klampenborg (1934), both in Copenhagen, where he embraced the style of the Stuttgart Weissenhofsiedlung. In the 1930s Jacobsen was influenced by Asplund in his designs for Aarhus (1937–42—with Erik Møller (1909– ) ) and Søllerød (1940–2—with Flemming Lassen (1902–84) ) Town Halls. He used curtain-walls of the utmost refinement from the 1950s, good examples of which were the Jespersen Building (1955), and Rødovre Town Hall (1955), both in Copenhagen. Attention to detail was clear in St Catherine's College, Oxford (1960–4—with Knud Helmuth Holscher (1930– ) ), where the brickwork and precast concrete were meticulously detailed in every respect. Jacobsen also designed all the furnishings and fittings for the College. He was responsible for the Danish Embassy, Sloane Street, London (1969–77), which, like his Rathaus (Town Hall), Mainz, Germany (1970–3), was completed by his colleagues Hans Oluf Dissing (1926–98) and Otto Weitling (1930– ).

Bibliography

• Dyssegaard (1972)
• Kalman (1994)
• Faber (1964)
• Kastholm (1968)
• Sheridan (2003)
• Skriver et al. (1971)
• Thau & Vindum (1998, 2001)
• Tøjner &Vindum(1996)
• Jane Turner(1996)

The full bibliography for this book is available to download as a pdf file.
Download the bibliography for A Dictionary of Architecture and Landscape Architecture (PDF: 1.2MB)

Jacobsen, Arne (är'nə yä'kŏpsən) , 1902–71, Danish architect and designer. Attentive to detail, Jacobsen suited his buildings to the surrounding landscape. He chiefly designed private housing, particularly in Søholm. The Bellevue seaside resort (1930–35) and Copenhagen's Jespersen (1955) and Scandinavian Airlines (1959–60) buildings are among his best-known works. Jacobsen also designed cutlery, furniture, and textile and wallpaper patterns.

This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)