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Jonas Bohlin’s Concrete Chair, Finn Juhl’s Chieftain Chair and Alvar Aalto’s Paimio Chair.
Jonas Bohlin’s Concrete Chair, Finn Juhl’s Chieftain Chair and Alvar Aalto’s Paimio Chair.

Press release -

Nordic Icons at auction in Copenhagen

At the last international auction of the year in Copenhagen, we will be offering three of the most iconic Nordic furniture classics – Alvar Aalto’s Paimio Chair (1931–32), Finn Juhl’s Chieftain Chair (1949) and Jonas Bohlin’s Concrete Chair (1980).

“The fact that we have the three biggest Nordic design icons at our international design auction in December is a real stroke of luck. All of them share the simple Nordic design idiom, albeit interpreted in three very different ways – by a Finn in 1930s, a Dane in 1940s and a Swede in the 1980s,” explains Peter Kjelgaard, head of the department of 20th century design and craft art at Bruun Rasmussen Auctioneers.

Alvar Aalto (1898–1976)

Finland’s most famous architect and designer, and one of the greatest pioneers of organic modernism. Between 1924 and 1929, he conducted several experiments with the bending of laminated wood and moulded veneer, which helped revolutionise modern furniture design. One of his greatest achievements is the iconic “Paimio Chair”, which was designed for the tuberculosis sanatorium in Paimio in 1931–32. The comfortable, functional design of the chair heralded the beginning of a new era that put Nordic design on the world map with its simple, soft and very human idiom.

Finn Juhl (1912–1989)

An exponent of the same design tradition as Aalto, Juhl is world famous for his organic furniture. Working with his long-standing collaborator, cabinetmaker Niels Vodder, he created some of the most distinctive and iconic pieces in Danish design history, including the Chieftain Chair. According to Juhl, the name “Chieftain Chair” stems from the time when Frederik IX tried sitting in it at the Cabinetmakers’ Guild Exhibition in 1949. Following this, a journalist asked Finn Juhl whether the chair should be appropriately named the “King Chair”. However, the architect felt it was too pretentious and replied “I'd rather you called it the Chieftain Chair”.

Jonas Bohlin (1953–)

He originally trained as a civil engineer, but made his name as a furniture designer when he graduated in interior design from Konstfackskolan in Stockholm in 1981, when he shocked the entire design world with his Concrete Chair. He quickly assumed the leading position in the Nordic countries in the 1980s, and was an exponent of the postmodern era, which to some extent was in contrast to the organic idiom of earlier years. He retained the simple expression, however. Speaking about his attitude to design, Bohlin said “I want my furniture to make an impression, to please and to communicate with time and space. It should be made with hands and heart, and it should show consideration for man and nature.” This sums up perfectly the essence of Nordic design tradition.

Nordic design auction

Bruun Rasmussen Auctioneers, Bredgade 33, Copenhagen

Preview: 24–28 November
Nordic design auction: 8 December

The Nordic design auction includes a wide selection of nordic design classics from the 20th century.

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Bruun Rasmussen Auctioneers is one of Scandinavia’s leading international auction houses, and one of Denmark’s oldest. It all started on 6 October 1948, when Arne Bruun Rasmussen conducted the first traditional auction in the saleroom at Bredgade 33 in Copenhagen. Today, Jesper Bruun Rasmussen stands at the helm of the family-run business together with the third generation of the family, his son Frederik and daughter Alexa, and the company’s CEO Jakob Dupont.

In 2004, the first online auction was launched, and today the auction house has expanded to include departments in Copenhagen and Aarhus and representations in Sweden, Germany, France, Belgium, Luxemburg, Spain, Italy, Thailand and the US. About 100,000 lots are auctioned off each year at the traditional auctions and daily online auctions. Here you can bid on everything from art, antiques, modern design and jewellery to books, coins, stamps, wine and weaponry.

Contacts

Peter Kjelgaard

Peter Kjelgaard

Head of Department Modern Decorative Art & Design + 45 8818 1191

Bruun Rasmussen – Part of the Bonhams Network

"Going once, going twice. Sold to the lady in the front row". For more than 75 years, the auction house Bruun Rasmussen has sold art, antiques, design, jewellery, wristwatches and collector’s items such as wine, books, coins and stamps. After having been family-owned through three generations, we were bought in 2022 by the English auction house Bonhams, which was founded in England in 1793 and is today one of the world's leading auction houses. We are now part of an international network with a global reach, and we present and sell art where it makes the most sense in relation to potential buyers. This also means that through the network we offer more than 60 categories of items at our auctions.

Art and credibility are at the heart of everything we do. The work in the auction house places great demands on our knowledge of art and trends on the market. Our specialists are the most experienced and competent in the industry, and in the Bonhams Network we share knowledge and communicate across national borders with a large number of international specialists. This way, we can provide the best valuation and advice that have become our trademark – and thereby offer the best lots from all categories and achieve the highest hammer prices for the benefit of our customers.

Tradition and innovation go hand in hand. At Bruun Rasmussen, we are one of Europe's most modern and digital auction houses, and it is only natural for us to adapt to changes in the market. Innovation is part of our DNA, while we are also deeply rooted in our history. The foundation of the company rests on our two types of auctions – Online Auction and Live Auction. Every week we put more than a thousand lots up for auction at bruun-rasmussen.dk, and several times a year we present exclusive lots live in our saleroom. We are proud to sell art and design in virtually every category and price range to and for people all over the world who are driven by the same passion as we are.

We want to be a living centre of culture, and since the autumn of 2023, we have been located in Lyngby north of Copenhagen in a new, modern domicile. Here you can not only explore among all the art objects on display and bid on the exciting auctions, you can also meet our specialists, get an estimate on your own items, consign them for auction, listen to exciting lectures and participate in cultural events. We also have branches in Aarhus and Glostrup and regularly go on valuation trips around Denmark and abroad. Our goal is to always be available and for everyone to have a good experience in our auction house.

Welcome to Bruun Rasmussen – we can help you make a good purchase or achieve a great sale!

Bruun Rasmussen – Part of the Bonhams Network
Nørgaardsvej 3
2800 Kongens Lyngby
Denmark
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