Outstanding Nordic design

Ejner Larsen & Aksel Bender Madsen

Furniture designers Ejner Larsen (1917-1987) and Aksel Bender Madsen (1916-2000) mainly used teak and palisander in their furniture design. Both graduates of Kunsthåndværkerskolens Møbelskole (Denmark’s School of Art and Design) in Copenhagen in 1940, they worked together from 1947, when they established their own design studio. For years, the duo kept their day jobs, working for the City Architect in Copenhagen, while their evenings were spent designing furniture on a par with the furniture of Hans J. Wegner, both in terms of its quality and design. Although their furniture was represented at numerous exhibitions at home in Denmark and abroad, they never enjoyed the same level of fame as Wegner.
                                              
At this autumn’s design auction, 13 exquisite classics from the hands of the designer duo are set to go under the hammer – all produced by their regular business partner, master cabinetmaker Willy Beck. The highlights include the iconic “Metropolitan Chair” from 1959, but the auction also features a sculptural fruit bowl carved from a solid piece of mahogany, an elegant low sideboard, which is an example of true craftsmanship, and a fine, understated desk with leather top.

Wedding present from Alvar Aalto

Finnish architect and designer Alvar Aalto (1898-1976) is represented at this auction with a wedding present he gave his friend and colleague, Danish architect Jean Jacques Baruël, with whom he designed the Museum of Modern Art in Aalborg (1968-72), today known as KUNSTEN. The two got to know each other when Baruël was employed at Alvar Aalto’s practice in Finland from 1948-54.

The wedding present from 1954 consisted of an extremely rare green-lacquered “beehive” pendant lamp and a very early “Savoy vase”, which have been inseparable ever since; the vase stood on a coffee table with the lamp hanging over it, so that the two items could complement one another. The “Savoy vase” was originally designed for the “Savoy” restaurant in Helsinki in 1936, and that same year it was exhibited at the World Exhibition in Paris.

Utzon’s daybed for the Sydney Opera House

Jørn Utzon (1918-2008) started his career at Alvar Aalto’s practice and later won international fame as the architect of Sydney Opera House (1957-73), which is considered one of the architectural masterpieces of the 20th century and was inscribed on UNESCO’s World Heritage List in 2007. At our design auction, we are offering an incredibly rare daybed, which was intended for the foyer of the opera house. Although Utzon was awarded the furniture prize in 1970, and received great international acclaim for his furniture, it was never a great commercial success.
 

Auction: 26 September 3 pm at Bredgade 33 in Copenhagen
Preview: 12-16 September at the same adress

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