Poul Kjaerholm, PK61 table for Fritz Hansen

POUL KJÆRHOLM (Denmark, 1929–1980) for FRITZ HANSEN.
Coffee table in Satin-brushed Spring steel frame, with a black slate plate, model PK61, Designed in 1956.
Small signs of use considering the age.
Produced by Fritz Hansen in 2005.
Measurements: 80 x 80 cm. height 32 cm.

Designed in 1956, the PK61 table reflects Poul Kjærholm’s formal simplicity and his attention to the relationship between structure and materials. The black slate tabletop is marked by its contrast with the visual lightness of the satin-finished steel legs, arranged in such a way that the joints between the pieces are visible. Its square composition, with balanced proportions and no ornamentation, links Danish design to an architectural conception of furniture. This piece, manufactured by Fritz Hansen in 2005, retains the understated character and structural clarity of the original design.

Poul Kjærholm was a Danish designer trained at the Danish School of Arts and Crafts in Copenhagen, where he enrolled in 1952 after beginning his apprenticeship with the cabinetmaker Gronbech in 1948. From the mid-1950s onward, he worked for his friend Ejvind Kold Christiansen, a businessman who always granted him complete creative freedom. His distinctive personality is already evident in his earliest creations, such as his PKO series of plywood furniture. In 1958, he attracted international attention thanks to his contribution to the “Formes Scandinaves” exhibition held in Paris, and that same year he won the Lunning Prize for his PK 22 chair. In 1957 and 1960, he was awarded the Grand Prize at the Milan Triennale, and in 1959 he was elected to the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts. In 1973, he was appointed director of the Danish Design Institute, where he taught beginning in 1976. Today, his designs are held in prominent design collections, including those of the Victoria and Albert Museum in London and the MOMA in New York.