Hans J. Wegner, sideboard President RY25

HANS J.WEGNER (Denmark, 1914 - 2007).
President RY25 sideboard, design 1953.
Brazilian rosewood, with steel and rosewood legs.
With Cites certificate that allows its sale in Europe.
Minor signs of use and patina due to age.
Made by Ry Møbler in the 1960s.
Measurements: 200 x 49 cm, height 80 cm.

This sideboard, designed by Hans J. Wegner, is an exemplary piece of 1950s Danish design, made of Brazilian rosewood. The piece of furniture exhibits a markedly horizontal structure with simple and rounded volumes, forming a stylized prism typically mid-century. It stands on four square legs that serve to visually lighten the piece of furniture. The front is organized in a simple way by two doors equipped with metal handles. The interior is compartmentalized with multiple shelves and pull-out trays.

Hans J. Wegner was a leading figure in furniture design, whose ideas contributed to the international popularity of Danish design in the mid-20th century. His work belongs to the modern school, characterized by a special emphasis on functionality. He began his training at a very young age, as an apprentice to the cabinetmaker H. F. Stahlberg. He soon discovered a special taste for the use of wood, and his work in the cabinetmaker's workshop allowed him to experiment with different types and designs. At the age of seventeen he finished his apprenticeship, although he remained in the workshop for another three years, until he joined the army. After his military service he entered a technical school, and then the Danmarks Designskole, where he was taught by O. Mølgaard Nielsen, and the Academy of Architecture in Copenhagen. In the Danish capital he came into contact with the Furniture Exhibitions of the Carpenters' Guild, where he began to show his creations in 1927. During these years Wegner collaborated with master cabinetmakers such as J. Hansen, L. Pontoppidan, N. Vodder, J. Kjaer, A. J. Iversen, Moos and R. Rasmussen, as well as with the most prominent Danish architects of the time, among them K. Klint, V. Lauritzen and V. Lauritzen. Klint, V. Lauritzen. O. Wanscher and M. Voltelen. The annual exhibitions would give the young cabinetmaker experience of what could be achieved with the combination of design and craftsmanship, which led him to devote himself fully to design. Already in his early pieces, Wegner showed his interest in the concept of "stripping antique chairs of their outer style and showing them in their pure structure." Throughout his career, the designer was awarded prizes such as the Lunning Prize in 1951, the Grand Prix de Milan at the Milan Triennale of the same year, the Prince Eugene Medal in Sweden and the Danish Exkersberg Medal. In 1959 he was appointed honorary royal designer for industry by the Royal Society of Arts in London. Currently his designs are present in collections such as the MoMA in New York or Die Neue Samlung in Munich.