876/​1530

Poul Kjærholm (b. Østervrå 1929, d. Hillerød 1980)

“PK 12”. A pair af armchairs with chromed steel frame. Seat upholstered with dark brown leather, back and armrest with braided leather strips. Designed 1964. These examples manufactured mid 1960s by E. Kold Christensen, stamped “Denmark”. (2)

Literature: Michael Sheridan: “Poul Kjærholm - Furniture Achitect”. Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, Humlebæk, 2006. Illustrated p. 118.

How do you improve on something so much an archetype as the Thonet Vienna chair that has almost become a dogma? The answer which Poul Kjærholm gave in 1964 with the PK 12 was clear if not simple. You remove what is not needed. By concentrating the stabilization into the metal ring at the seat Poul Kjærholm is able to remove the joint between the back legs and the armrests, as well as the separate stabilizing ring between the legs, found on the Thonet Chair. Poul Kjærholm’s furniture is often defined by what is not there. The PK 12 in this way should be seen as both an homage to a timeless classic, as well as something completely original and new.

Auction

Design: Evening sale, 6 December 2017

Category
Estimate

100,000 DKK

Sold

Price realised

90,000 DKK