Arne Jacobsen

Arne Jacobsen (February 11, 1902 – March 24, 1971) was a Danish architect and industrial designer. He was born in Copenhagen and after studying four years at a construction school, he entered the Faculty of Architecture of the Royal Academy of Fine Arts.

Among his most important architectural works are St. Catherine's College in Oxford, the SAS Hotel in Copenhagen, the headquarters of the National Bank of Denmark in Copenhagen and the Royal Danish Embassy in Knightsbridge (London).

Many of the furniture designed by Jacobsen have become classics, including the Ant chair from 1951 and the Swan and Egg chairs. designed for the SAS hotel. However, Jacobsen is known for the 1955 model 3107 chair, also called 'Chair Number 7', of which more than 5 million units were sold. The number 7 was used in 1963 to hide the nudity of Christine Keeler in Lewis Morley's iconic portrait. Her other contribution to popular culture media is her designer cutlery, with spoons for both hands, in the film 2001: A Space Odyssey, chosen for the film for its "futuristic" design.

The key to the success of Jacobsen objects lies in their elegant and essential design that gives them external appeal.

Biography

Jacobsen was a bricklayer for a few years. He began a career in architecture studying at the Kongelige Danske Kunstakademi in Copenhagen, where he graduated in 1927. He then founded his own studio in Hellerup to work in architecture and interior design independently. His influences were Le Corbusier, Gunnar Asplund, and Ludwig Mies van der Rohe. He was a pioneer of modern design in Denmark, with his work 'The House of the Future'. designed together with Fleming Lassen in 1929. His biggest project was the building for the SAS air terminal and the Royal Hotel in Copenhagen (1956-1960) where Jacobsen intervened in every detail such as the upholstery and lighting. During those years, he also ventured into industrial design, with objects such as the Ant chairs (1951-1952) and the Series 7 (1955) for Fritz Hansen. He also designed the AJ luminaires (1955-1960) for Louis Poulsen, the Cylinda-Line collection of metal objects for Stelton and cutlery for Georg Jensen. During the 1960s he dedicated himself to teaching at the Skolen for Brugskunst in Copenhagen and designed theSt. Catherine's College, Oxford.

Work

Architecture

• Bellavista in Klampenborg (1933-34)
• Bellevue (1935-36)
• Skovshoved Service Station, Copenhagen (1937)
• City Council of Århus (1939-42)
• City Council of Søllerød (1940-42)
• Søholm Houses in Klampenborg (1950-54)
• City Council of Rødovre (1957)
• Glostrup Town Hall (1958)
• The Munkegård School in Copenhagen (1955-59)
• SAS Royal Hotel in Copenhagen (1958-1960)
• Toms Chocolate Factories in Ballerup (1961)
• Headquarters of the National Bank of Denmark, Copenhagen (compared in 1965)
• St Catherine's College, Oxford (1964-66)
• Hamburger Elektrizitaetswerke Verwaltungsgebaeude in Hamburg (City Nord)
• Municipality of Maguncia (1970-1973)

Furniture

• Silla Ant (1952)
• Modelo 3107 (1955)
• Grand Prix Chair (1957)
• Egg chair (1958)
• Swan Chair (1958)