Hans Wegner

Hans Jørgensen Wegner
MAA
BornApril 2, 1914
Tønder, Prussia, German Empire
DiedJanuary 26, 2007
Copenhagen
Resting placeMariebjerg Cemetery
NationalityGerman-Danish
EducationTeknologisk Institut
Danmarks Designskole
Known forChair design
StyleDanish modern
MovementModernism
SpouseInga Helbo (m. 1940)
ChildrenMarianne Wegner Sørensen
Eva Wegner
AwardsLunning Prize (1951)
Grand prix of the Milan Triennial IX (1951)
Gold medal of the Milan Triennial (1956)
Eckersberg Medal (1956)
Citation of Merit from the Pratt institute (1961)
Prince Eugen Medal (1961)
AID design award (1961)[1]
Royal Designers for Industry (1969)
Diploma di collaborazione Triennale di Milano (1973)
Danish Furniture Prize (1980)
C. F. Hansen Medal (1982)
Danish Design Council’s Annual Prize (1987)[2]
8th International Design Award (1997)[3]

Hans Jørgensen Wegner (April 2, 1914 – January 26, 2007) was a Danish furniture designer.[4] His work, along with a concerted effort from several of his manufacturers,[5] contributed to the international popularity of mid-century Danish design. His style is often described as Organic Functionality, a modernist school with emphasis on functionality. This school of thought arose primarily in Scandinavian countries with contributions by Poul Henningsen, Alvar Aalto, and Arne Jacobsen.[5]

Wegner has been referred to as the "King of Chairs" for his proliferated work designing seating.[6] In his lifetime he designed over 500 different chairs, over 100 of which were put into mass production and many of which have become recognizable design icons.[7]

“If only you could design just one good chair in your life...but you simply cannot.”[6]

— Hans Wegner

Wegner received several major design prizes in his lifetime, from the Lunning Prize in 1951 and the Grand Prix of the Milan Triennale in the same year, to the Prince Eugen Medal in Sweden and the Danish Eckersberg Medal.[8] In 1969, he was made honorary Royal designer for industry by the Royal Society of Arts in London.[9]

  1. ^ Furniture. Copenhagen: Den Permanente. 1965. p. 13.
  2. ^ Oda, Noritsugu (February 1999). Danish Chairs. Chronicle Books. ISBN 978-0-8118-2257-2.
  3. ^ "Hans J. Wegner: the Driving Force Behind Danish Modern". cykell Hansen & Søn. Retrieved 2020-10-01.
  4. ^ Woodham, Jonathan (2016). "Wegner, Hans J.". A Dictionary of Modern Design (2nd ed.). Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780191762963.
  5. ^ a b Bernsen 2001.
  6. ^ a b Dunne, Carey (2014-03-20). "How Hans Wegner Redesigned The Chair 500 Times". Fast Company. Retrieved 2020-09-30.
  7. ^ Hollingsworth 2009.
  8. ^ "Hans J. Wegner". scandinaviandesign.com. Archived from the original on 18 July 2007.
  9. ^ "Past Royal Designers for Industry". Royal Society of Arts. Retrieved 2020-10-03.