Bruno Mathsson, Ellipse Table for Fritz Hansen

BRUNO MATHSSON (Sweden, 1907–1988) & PIET HEIN (Denmark, 1905–1996) for Fritz Hansen.
Ellipse dining table.
With chrome-plated steel legs and a black laminate tabletop.
Table with minor marks.
Produced by Fritz Hansen in 2019, with label from there.
Measurements: 300 x 130 cm, height 73 cm.

With its remarkable simplicity and purity, this table is one of the most iconic pieces of Danish design, thanks precisely to its legs—composed of three chrome-plated steel beams that converge at a circular base. Lightness, versatility, and originality are further enhanced by the elliptical shape of the tabletop.

Piet Hein Eek is a Dutch designer. He is known for designs that involve significant intellectual effort and require a considerable investment of time from artisans, despite his use of humble materials. Piet Hein Eek’s work takes an ecological approach. His emphasis on using found materials serves the cause of sustainable design. His designs often highlight the natural qualities of their materials, giving his pieces a distinctive look. He has undertaken sustainability projects in developing countries, as well as furniture design and production projects in his native Netherlands. In 2018, he developed a furniture line in collaboration with IKEA.

For his part, Bruno Mathsson was a Swedish architect and furniture designer whose style drew on the influences of functionalism as well as the ancient artisanal traditions of his native country. Now considered the father of Swedish design, Bruno Mathsson is best known for his “Eva” chair and his “Pernilla” chaise longue, which, aside from being comfortable seats, represent above all a way of life tailored to the modern man—a man close to nature through his simple, all transparency. The lightness of Mathsson’s functional and ergonomic furniture, its organic forms, and natural materials inspired many architects, such as Fisac in Spain. His work is currently represented at MoMA in New York, among many other museums worldwide.