Ole Wanscher

OLE WANSCHER (1903-1985) for A. J. Iversen.
New York" chair, c. 1939.
Cuban mahogany wood and leather upholstered seat.
Measurements: 85 x 60.5 x 60 cm. 45 cm (seat height).
This chair corresponds to a model that was part of the Danish Pavilion at the 1939 World's Fair in New York. Arranged in groups of three around an unusual triangular table, the pieces were selected by the architect responsible for the exhibition, Tyge Hvass, as a representation of the spirit and identity of Danish design at the time.
At a fair dedicated to the "world of tomorrow," this chair was presented as the most modern within the typologies that Ole Wanscher had designed up to that time, and even in comparison to similar models that he would continue to develop during the 1950s and 1960s. By separating the wooden frame from the seat and back, Wanscher exposed the construction of the furniture in an explicit and transparent manner. In most of his work he preferred fully upholstered seats and backs, which makes this piece a notable exception. He also eliminated almost all of the crosspieces between the legs, so that lateral stability is achieved solely by joining the seat and backrest. The design is largely based on an earlier and very rare chair conceived by Wanscher in 1934, similar in form, although that one included sturdy and expressive crosspieces between the legs.
The first public presentation of this model took place at the annual exhibition of the Copenhagen Cabinetmakers' Guild in the fall of 1938. Beyond the three chairs sent to New York, very few additional examples were produced. It did not subsequently reappear in promotional material or in advertisements from maker A. J. Iversen's workshop.
Ole Wanscher studied at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts with the famous architect-designer Kaare Klint. During this period, Wanscher worked closely with Klint and, after Klint's death, Wanscher took over Klint's chair at the academy. Wanscher had his own drawing studio from 1927 and from 1931 to 1936 he taught at the Copenhagen School of Arts and Crafts. Wancher was influenced by Greek, Chinese and Egyptian art and, unlike the modernists, who rejected the past, he had references to history, but in a more minimalist and aesthetic way in his attempt to create contemporary furniture adapted to the needs of modern society. Wanscher wrote several articles and published several books on the history of design, such as The History of the Arts of Furniture (1956) and Five Thousand Years of Furniture (1967). Ole Wanscher worked with many of the best cabinetmakers, including France & Son, Rud. Rasmussen and Poul Jeppesen. Poul Jeppesen Furnituremakers was founded in the 1950s. Wancher joined the company as chief designer, a position he held for the rest of his professional life.