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.

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.

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)

Arne Emil Jacobsen (11 February 1902 – 24 March 1971) was a Danish architect and designer, exemplar of the 'Danish Modern' style. In addition to his architectural work he created a number of highly original chairs and other furniture. He received several international distinctions and medals.

Contents 1 Education and training 2 Furniture designs 3 St Catherine's College, Oxford 4 Selected architectural works 5 Gallery of works 6 References 7 External links

Education and training

Bellavista apartments, Klampenborg, view-1.

Bellavista apartments, Klampenborg, view-2.

Bellavista apartments, Klampenborg, view-3.

St Catherine's College, Oxford-view from west.

St Catherine's College, Oxford-undergraduate rooms and bell-tower-view from east.

Jacobsen was a student at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts in Copenhagen. He was granted his professional qualification in 1927.

Furniture designs

Many of Jacobsen's furniture designs have become classics. A selection of these would include:

• The Ant chair (1952)
• The Seven series (1955)
• The Swan, a chair (1958)
• The Egg, a chair (1958)
• The Pot chair (1959)
• The Giraffe chair (1959)

The third and fourth were both designed for the Radisson SAS Hotel in Copenhagen.

Jacobsen is, perhaps, best known for the Model 3107 chair (1955), also referred to as the 'Number 7' chair. It is said to have sold over 5 million copies. This chair is, itself, probably best known for being the prop used to hide Christine Keeler's nakedness in the 'iconic' photograph of her taken by Lewis Morley in 1963. ^[1] Morley just happened to use a chair that he had in the studio, which turned out to have been a copy of Jacobsen's design. Since then 'Number 7' chairs have been used for many similar portraits imitating the pose.

His other visible contribution to pop culture in the media is his flatware design, with right and left-handed spoons, in the movie 2001: A Space Odyssey. It was selected for the film because of its 'futuristic' appearance.

St Catherine's College, Oxford

St Catherine's College is Jacobsen's interpretation of a university college. It has a large number of elements, among which are to be found:

• A quadrangle centered on a lawn (a circle with one or two Cedar of Lebanon trees).
• Undergraduate rooms (laid out in two long rows).
• A garden.
• A dining hall on a very substantial scale.
• A senior common room.
• A junior common room.
• Master's lodgings.
• A 'feature' (in this case, a lily pond).

His creativity did not end there, however. A perfectionist, he also designed the flatware, all of the furniture in the rooms, the locks and keys, the door handles, the sinks, the taps, and all the lights. Though only staircases 1 and 2 have the original and completed design, the metal shower stalls and bathrooms are intact.

Many of the furnishings and fixtures Jacobsen designed for St Catherine's are considered classics of modern design, represented in galleries around the world. The part of the College designed by him is now a Grade 1 Listed Building, the highest designation available for architecture in England or Wales.

In 1956 Jacobsen was appointed to a professorship of architecture at the R.D.A.F.A. in Copenhagen.

Selected architectural works

Stelling House, Copenhagen

Søholm I settlement, Klampenborg

• Bellevue Beach, Klampenborg, DK (1933-34)
• Bellavista apartments, Strandvejen 419-451, Klampenborg, DK (1933-34)
• Bellevue Theatre and restaurant, Klampenborg (1935-36)
• Skovshoved Petrol Station, Skovshoved, DK (1936)
• Stelling House, Gammeltorv 6, Copenhagen, DK (1937-38)
• Søllerød Town Hall (with Flemming Lassen), Søllerød, Copenhagen (1938-42)
• Århus City Hall (with Erik Møller), Århus, DK (1939-42)
• Søholm I and II settlements, Klampenborg (1946-51)
• Søholm townhouse, Klampenborg (1950-54) ^[2]
• Rødovre Town Hall, Rødovre, DK (1956-57)
• Glostrup Town Hall, Glostrup, DK (1958)
• Munkegård School, Copenhagen (1955-59)
• SAS Royal Hotel, Copenhagen (1958-60)
• Toms Chocolate Factory, Ballerup, DK (1961)
• National Bank of Denmark, Copenhagen (1965-70)
• Landskrona Sports-Hall, Landskrona, Sweden (1965)
• St Catherine's College, Oxford, UK (1964-66)
• Mainz City Hall, Mainz, Germany (1966-73)
• Christianeum School, Hamburg, Germany (1970-71)
• HEW Vattenfall Europe, Hamburg, Germany (1970)^[3]
• Royal Danish Embassy, London, UK (1976-77)^[4]
• Parliament House, Islamabad, Pakistan

Gallery of works

Bespoke furniture and lighting at St Catherine's College.	SAS Royal Hotel in Copenhagen.	The Danish National Bank, Copenhagen.
Texaco petrol station, Kystvejen, Skovshoved, 1936.	City hall of Mainz.	The Egg chair, designed for the SAS Royal Hotel, 1958.

References

1. ^ Christine Keeler Photograph: A Modern Icon - Victoria and Albert Museum
2. ^ Owned by Jacobsen.
3. ^ Believed to have been really successful.
4. ^ The dates here represent the period of construction only.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Arne Jacobsen

• Arne Jacobsen portrait and photos of his most important furniture designs
• Photos and description of Jacobsen's major work in the UK, St Catherine's College, Oxford

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