Hans J. Wegner, "The Chair" for Johannes Hansen

HANS J. WEGNER (Denmark, 1914–2007).
A pair of “the chair” model JH-501, made in solid teak, seat and back mounted with the original sage wicker. Designed in 1949.
The chairs are acquired as a pair in the mid-50’s.
Minor signs of use and patina due to age, a few hairline cracks in the frame, the original wicker appears with a few small wicker defects.
Produced by Cabinetmaker Johannes Hansen, branded from there.
Measurements: 76 x 63 x 53 cm. Seat high: 43 cm.

The JH-501, universally known as “The Chair,” is considered Hans J. Wegner’s masterpiece and one of the absolute icons of 20th-century Danish design. Its international fame was cemented in 1960, when it was chosen for the historic televised debate between John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon, and it has since become a symbol of the finest Scandinavian design.

Designed in 1949 and crafted by the renowned cabinetmaker Johannes Hansen, this chair perfectly embodies the designer’s philosophy, rooted in formal simplicity, artisanal excellence, and the pursuit of maximum comfort. Its distinctive solid teak frame, with fluid and organic lines, integrates the backrest, armrests, and legs into a single composition of extraordinary elegance, while the wicker-woven seat and backrest provide visual lightness and exceptional ergonomics.

Hans J. Wegner was a leading figure in furniture design, whose ideas contributed to the international popularity of mid-20th-century Danish design. His work belongs to the modernist school, characterized by a particular emphasis on functionality. He began his training at a very young age as an apprentice to cabinetmaker H. F. Stahlberg. He soon developed a particular fondness for working with wood, and his time in the cabinetmaking workshop allowed him to experiment with different types and designs. At the age of seventeen, he completed his apprenticeship, though he remained in the workshop for another three years until he was drafted into the army. After his military service, he enrolled in a technical school, then at the Danmarks Designskole, where he was taught by O. Mølgaard Nielsen, and at the Academy of Architecture in Copenhagen. In the Danish capital, he became involved with the Carpenters’ Guild’s furniture exhibitions, where he began displaying 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, including K. Klint, V. Lauritzen, O. Wanscher, and M. Voltelen. The annual exhibitions gave the young cabinetmaker a sense of what could be achieved through the combination of design and craftsmanship, which led him to devote himself fully to design. Even in his earliest pieces, Wegner demonstrated an interest in the concept of “stripping antique chairs of their external style and revealing their pure structure.” Throughout his career, Wegner received awards such as the Lunning Prize in 1951, the Grand Prix at the Milan Triennale that same year, the Prince Eugen Medal in Sweden, and the Danish Exkersberg Medal. In 1959, he was named an honorary royal designer for industry by the Royal Society of Arts in London. Today, his designs are featured in collections such as those of MoMA in New York and Die Neue Sammlung in Munich.