Rud Thygesen and Johnny Sorensen for Botium

RUD THYGESEN (Denmark, 1932-2019) AND JOHNNY SORENSEN (Denmark, 1944) for Botium
Embassy table, 1990s.
Oak wood.
Exhibits wear consistent with age and use.
With labels.
Measurements: 70 x 300 x 160 cm (open); 71 x 160 x 160 x 160 cm (open).
The Embassy extendable modular table, originally manufactured in Denmark, is part of the prestigious Kongeriserien collection (The King's Series), whose silhouette is defined by a sober geometry interrupted by unique arched legs, whose design subtly evokes the large loading structures of the old port warehouses. Originally conceived for senior management boardrooms, embassies and highly formal institutional settings, the Embassy table was conceived on a large scale, responding to the needs of spaces where representation and functionality had to coexist naturally. However, its ingenious modular and extensible system allowed for progressive adaptation to more domestic contexts.
Rud Thygesen trained at the Royal Danish Academy in 1966, the same year he founded a successful design studio with Johnny Sørensen. Together they designed the Kongemøblerna collection (The Royal Furniture or Royal Collection) in 1969, which became an international success and was represented in multiple museums, such as the Museum of Modern Art in New York and the Museum of Furniture Studies in Stockholm. This collection for King Frederick IX brought the two young designers to meet the monarch himself, making their popularity soar. Other important designs include the chairs for Café Victor (1980), a fashionable café in central Copenhagen, and the Partout café chair (1996), which was made for Copenhagen Airport. They worked for Magnus Olesen (these being their most sought-after designs) and Kasper Salto. Sørensen and Thygesen are represented, among others, at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Victoria & Albert Museum in London and the Museum of Furniture Studies in Stockholm. In 1992, Rud Thygesen received the Bruno Mathsson Prize and the Japanese G Prize.