Finn Juhl for France & Son

FINN JUHL (Denmark, 1912–1989) for France & Son.
Pair of “Japan” armchairs, c. 1950.
Teak wood.
Measurements: 72 x 66 x 69 cm (x2).
Danish designer Finn Juhl conceived the “Japan” series in the mid-1950s. Documentation from the current firm dates the model to 1957, while the original drawings and some commercial references suggest an earlier conception, around 1953. The series was developed in collaboration with the Danish manufacturer France & Son, a company that previously operated under the name France & Daverkosen. The name France & Son was adopted in 1957, when James France joined his father’s business. Japanese inspiration is the most distinctive feature of this series. Juhl applied visual principles from traditional Japanese architecture to furniture design: structural clarity, lightness of proportion, geometric simplicity, and the importance of the joints between elements. The horizontal backrest and wooden uprights evoke the structures of Japanese doors and temple buildings. The structure remains visually uncluttered, allowing one to appreciate how its various components fit together.
The 1957 “Japan” model is featured in the Oda Collection in Higashikawa, Japan—a major collection specializing in chairs and Danish design. One example was exhibited at the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum in 2022.
Danish architect and furniture designer Finn Juhl is a key figure in 20th-century Scandinavian design. He studied architecture at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts in Copenhagen, where he graduated in 1934. He initially worked at the studio of architect Vilhelm Lauritzen before embarking on an independent career focused on interior architecture and furniture design. He collaborated with Danish manufacturers such as France & Son and Bovirke, contributing to the international spread of modern Danish design.His designs are part of leading museum collections, including those of the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York and the Designmuseum Danmark in Copenhagen.