Poul Kjaerholm

POUL KJÆRHOLM (Denmark, 1929 - 1980) for E Kold Christensen.
Divan "PK80", ca. 1950.
Early edition, probably first edition.
Steel frame.
To be restored with vegetable leather upholstery.
With publisher's logo on one side.
Measurements: 31 x 190 x 80 cm.

Poul Kjærholm's PK-80 is an iconic mid-century divan that condenses the poetics of Nordic modernity into a piece of restrained proportions and impeccable formal economy. Designed by Kjærholm in the 1950s, the PK-80 takes as its starting point the tradition of divan beds and Bauhaus models, reinterpreting them with his usual blend of minimalist sensibility and material honesty.

The divan features a stainless steel stretcher frame that draws a continuous, almost floating line under the bed; on that stretcher frame rests a painted plywood bed that supports the mattress. The structural shaft minimizes the superfluous: the metal base functions both as a load-bearing element and as an aesthetic feature that contrasts with the soft upholstery.

The PK-80 mattress is characterized by its large format and the sharp-edged finish that emphasizes the geometry of the whole.

The first editions of the PK-80 were produced by E. Kold Christensen (EKC), which gives this piece an undeniable value. Early pieces marked by EKC are especially valued by collectors, and feature manufacturing details that differ from later reissues (e.g., those made by Fritz Hansen).

Aesthetically, the PK-80 symbolizes the synthesis between rigor and tactility: the coldness of the steel and the flatness of the mattress create a visual tension that is resolved in understated elegance.

Poul Kjærholm was a Danish designer trained at the Danish School of Arts and Crafts in Copenhagen, where he entered in 1952 after beginning his apprenticeship with the cabinetmaker Gronbech in 1948. Since the mid-fifties he worked for his friend EjvindKoldChristiansen, a businessman who always gave him total creative freedom. In his earliest creations, such as his PKO plywood furniture series, his strong personality is already evident. In 1958 he attracted international attention with his contribution to the "Formes Scandinaves" exhibition in Paris, and in the same year he won the Lunning Prize for his PK 22 chair. In 1957 and 1960 he was awarded the Grand Prix at the Milan Triennale, and in 1959 he was admitted to the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts. In 1973 he was appointed director of the Danish Design Institute, where he taught from 1976. Today his designs are held in leading design collections, including those of the Victoria & ALbert Museum in London and the MOMA in New York.