Waves of Modernity – Vilhelm Lauritzen
From location to inspiration: in a series of articles, we look at places that have provided inspiration for artists and designers in their work. This time we turn our attention to a place that the architect Vilhelm Lauritzen himself was allowed to shape before it was filled with some of his most well-known design: Radiohuset.
The Interplay Between Furniture and Architecture
What does it mean when you build the place of inspiration yourself, which is intended to further inspire both your own and others' creative expression? The degree of interplay between the designed furniture and the buildings they end up in varies from architect to architect, but when the conversation falls on Vilhelm Lauritzen, the furniture and not least the lighting have often been an integral part of the architecture. This also applies to the furniture by Lauritzen that we see at auction here at Bruun Rasmussen. In this way, the place has significance not only for the architect in the original work, but also for the bidders in an auction later on. This also applies to Lauritzen's design, points out specialist in decorative art and design Poul Svalgaard Henriksen.
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Most often we see lighting rather than furniture by Vilhelm Lauritzen at auction, and this is due to, among other things, that his furniture was designed for specific locations rather than for mass production. A provenance that e.g. includes Radiohuset in Copenhagen, has a clear value for customers.
specialist in decorative art and design, Poul Svalgaard Henriksen
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Being on the Same Wavelength with a Tumultuous Time Period
When asked why Lauritzen was given the task of designing the Radiohuset, Svalgaard Henriksen points beyond Denmark's borders, when there were clear fractures in contemporary society at several levels:
Lauritzen was likely given Radiohuset as an assignment, because the decision-makers thought he would be able to embrace the modern world. We see him create this media house and then also the iconic airport terminal at Copenhagen Airport, and in doing so he literally frames the new trends of the time with mass media and mass transport.
Specialist in modern decorative art and design, Poul Svalgaard Henriksen
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Lauritzen attended the school of architecture at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts from 1912 to 1921, during which time Danish architecture was still characterized by national romanticism and neoclassicism. But in the subsequent years leading up to the Second World War, international trends of modernity emerged from e.g. The Bauhaus school and Le Corbusier. Lauritzen was on the same wavelength with these international ideas and managed to incorporate both the classic and the more modern ideas in his work. Although the Radiohuset was completed in 1941, the official opening was postponed to 1945 due to the German occupation. The construction process was deliberately delayed by, among other things, putting up wall panels during the day, which were then taken down again at night to be put up again the next day. This persistent obstruction testifies to the importance of radio as a mass medium at the time, where for almost a decade Adolf Hitler's voice had used the airwaves to incite an entire people to fight and plunge the whole world into war. |
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A Foundation Based on Technology and NatureLauritzen's choice in relation to the interior design was influenced by the location's function as a media production house. The building's original three buildings with a high and a low wing and the concert hall, "Studio 1", helped to clearly divide the premises into their respective functions. The load-bearing elements in the floors often rested on their own foundations, so that there was physical separation between the personnel-intensive rooms and then the production rooms in the form of the sound studios. In addition, the roof over the sound studios was covered with a thick layer of soil. It all had the practical function of dampening the noise in relation to the radio recordings, but the earth-covered roof was also given a more pleasant function as a roof terrace for the employees. Here they could enjoy a piece of nature in the middle of the Danish capitol city and the latest breakthroughs in media technology right below them. |
It is clear to see how Lauritzen was inspired by nature with e.g. the curved roof of the buildings, which is most marked with the roof of the concert building, but which also repeats itself in the back alley houses. It is a combination of functionality and modern aesthetics that characterizes his work. This undulation also appears even more clearly in the ceiling in his airport terminal and the almost floating stairs in Radiohuset. It can also be seen in his furniture, which in itself has an organic appearance and is only enhanced by the architectural framework. The choice of materials also points in this direction. For instance, the use of natural leather, which Lauritzen also ended up using in the ceiling in Radiohuset's foyer. This ceiling was made of ox skin and placed in smaller rectangles that could be taken down individually. There was initial criticism of this choice of material, but Lauritzen was convinced that this criticism would die down as the ceiling only became nicer to look at over time when the skin was exposed to light and air.
Specialist in modern decorative art and design, Poul Svalgaard Henriksen
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An Interior in Harmony with Itself
In addition to the ceiling, the lamps, furniture and details in the railings also play together to provide Radiohuset with a nature-oriented harmony. The concert hall's small lamps, for example, are shaped like lilies of the valley, while the chairs in this hall are also upholstered in natural leather, and in the aforementioned foyer ceiling, you can find a piece consisting of the full animal form of an ox – if you look closely.
Today, DR (Danish Broadcasting Company) and their TV and radio productions have moved on to newer buildings. Radiohuset has become a listed building and home to a.o. the Royal Danish Academy of Music and the Danish Music Museum. The concert hall is still in use, and Lauritzen's furniture and lighting also remain. When some of this lighting from Lauritzen's architectural firm comes up for auction at Bruun Rasmussen, there is almost always a shade of Denmark's 20th century history accompanying it.
For further information, please contact:
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Poul Svalgaard HenriksenPoul Svalgaard HenriksenSpecialist / Modern Decorative Art & Design / København |