Time to Dream with Finn Juhl

It is very rare to see such early furniture pieces from Finn Juhl, and both the coffee table and the chair are part of the "Nordic Masters" design auction on Wednesday, 27 September at 6 pm in Bredgade 33 in Copenhagen.

The Sculptural "Dream Table"

“It is permitted to play with colours, glass and steel, if you thereby create a work of art, liberated from all remembrance of time and tradition – one can always afford to dream."

These words are from a review in the Danish periodical Nyt Tidsskrift for Kunstindustri (New Journal of the Art Industry). They are a reaction to Finn Juhl's palette-shaped coffee table in Cuban mahogany, which was presented at the Copenhagen Cabinetmakers’ Exhibition at the Kunstindustri Museum in 1945. The table is also one of the most sculptural and eye-catching furniture pieces that our design expert Peter Kjelgaard has ever seen from the world-famous architect. Kjelgaard was aware of the making of the table, but he did not know whether or not it still existed. 

In addition to its sculptural shape, the table is painted in blue and yellow colours and is equipped with a circular zinc inlay, a zinc canister with a circular lid of thick, clear glass and a yellow storage compartment with a tabour lid. Cabinetmaker Niels Vodder made the table on a special order in 1945. The table is a testimony to Juhl's unique sense of shape and colour, showing his connection to modern art, such as the artist Jean Arp.

Finn Juhl’s Favourite Chair

One of the other highlights of the auction is the "FJ 44" armchair, which is considered to be one of Juhl's most important chairs and at the same time marks the beginning of the architect's most productive period from the mid-1940s. It is the first armchair made of wood that truly incorporates his distinctive idiom and stretches the limits of carpentry to their extreme. FJ-44 was designed for the Copenhagen Cabinetmakers’ Exhibition in 1944 and was only made in 12 examples by cabinetmaker Niels Vodder, of which the example here is one of the few that still exist today. The chair was a personal favourite of both Finn Juhl and his wife, and therefore it has had a permanent place in their home at Kratvænget in Ordrup, which today is open to the public and is part of the Ordrupgaard art museum north of Copenhagen.

The Collaboration Between Architect and Cabinetmaker

Juhl was originally educated as an architect, but it was furniture and interior design that became his profession. Together with his ongoing partner Niels Vodder, he created some of the most iconic furniture pieces of Danish design history that today have achieved the status of precious collector’s items and museum pieces. Finn Juhl combined the craftsmanship of carpentry with a modern and artistic expression – without losing sight of the functionality of the furniture. With his distinctive design, he renewed Danish furniture and was the first Danish furniture architect to gain international recognition.

Auction: 27 September, 6 pm in Bredgade 33 in Copenhagen

Preview: 14-18 September at the same address

View all the auction lots with Finn Juhl's furniture

View all the lots with furniture under "Nordic Masters"

Read more about the auction

Read about how to bid

Peter Kjelgaard – Bruun Rasmussen's Leading Design Expert

Peter Kjelgaard is employed as a design expert and head of Bruun Rasmussen's department of modern design and decorative art. He leads the work of handpicking the most exclusive items for our auctions of Nordic design and decorative art from the 20th century. Recently, Kjelgaard has contributed his in-depth knowledge of Danish design to articles in publications such as Financial Times and Architectural Digest.

Read the article from Financial Times

Read the article from Architectural Digest

Læs Read the article from Modern Magazine

Read the article from Vogue Living Australia

Read more about Peter Kjeldgaard