1825/​6029

Finn Juhl (b. Frederiksberg 1912, d. Ordrup 1989)

Unique collection of 27 letters and 6 post cards written and signed by Finn Juhl (all autographed and signed except from two typewritten letters). Written between August 28, 1928 and April 7, 1929. More than 50 closely written pages. The letters are sent to Juhl's friend Henning Friis (1911–99).

The Danish architect and designer Finn Juhl (1912–1989) is one of the most colourful and exciting furniture designers of the 20th century. He was the first Danish furniture designer to gain widespread international recognition. His work was vital to spreading the “Danish Modern” concept around the world.

This collection of 27 letters, is Finn Juhl's contribution to a correspondence with the friend Henning Friis (1911–99), the later Director of what is today known as the Danish National Centre for Social Research. Finn Juhl and Henning Friis were classmates at the high school Sct. Jørgens Gymnasium in Copenhagen. After their first year together, however, Henning Friis was moved to Herlufsholm Boarding School at his father's request, but the two friends kept in contact. They were both politically and socially active in a socialist context with connections to contemporary socialists and cultural radicals in Denmark, such as Poul Henningsen, Broby Johansen, Carl Madsen and Mogens Fog.

Upon the initiative of the Danish Monde Group, who were already publishing the Monde magazine, and teachers from schools such as Sct. Jørgens and Herlufsholm, the ”Dansk Gymnasiastforbund” (Danish High School Student Association) was founded in 1928. It was an organization for left-wing high school students and seen as a forum for political and cultural debate. With Henning Friis as a leading figure, the association began publishing the monthly magazine “Vi Gymnasiaster” (We High School Students) as a response to the bourgeois dominance of the the upper secondary schools in Denmark. Finn Juhl and Henning Friis worked day and night on this project as dedicated members of the magazine's editorial board.

Finn Juhl's letters to his friend Henning Friis concern themselves with the thoughts and experiences of youth and, above all, Juhl’s huge commitment to the editorial work on the magazine and its direction, which was of great concern to Finn Juhl. The letters, therefore, provide a fine insight into Finn Juhl's political and cultural ideas and high ideals over the course of 3 years. The letters clearly show that Finn Juhl was already an incredibly ambitious and knowledgeable person at this young age. In addition to politics, the letters also express a strong and dedicated approach to other forms of art, including music and visual arts.

In a letter from May 14, 1929 Juhl writes: “Kære Henning. [...] I gaar mandag var vi til forelæsning på kunstakademiet hos prof. Axel Jørgensen. Det var udmærket måske lidt vel uordnet. Han har meget med at komme med så mange indskud at han glemmer hovedsætningens afslutning. [...] I tirsdags har jeg været på kunstmuseet og set kobberstikssamlingens udstilling af venetiansk kunst - [...], Canaletto, Guido - [...]”.

In another letter (typewritten) from May 28 1929 Finn Juhl states: “Paa Skolen har jeg nu overtaget Gregersens stilling som udsmykningsdirektør. Til næste aar vil jeg sørge for, at vi får en ny forsyning af moderne kunst. Rektor spurgte mig forleden dag, om hvorledes jeg mente, at tegneundervisnigen burde være. Jeg foreslog bl.a. undervisning i kubistisk tegning a la de russiske arbejdertegninger, altså en blanding af naturalisme og expressionisme, hvor farve og form især spiller en rolle. Desuden synes jeg, at den saakaldte kunsthistorie erstattedes af en undervisining i at se paa billeder, hvilket som bekendt er noget, de færreste kan. [...]”.

Literature: O. Harsløf: Mondegruppen. Cph 1997.

Provenance: Descendants of Henning Friis (1911–1999), the first director of The Danish National Centre for Social Research.

Auction

Books and manuscripts, 19 June 2018

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10,000–15,000 DKK

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7,000 DKK  

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7,000 DKK