THE PEOPLE’S CHAIR
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Børge Mogensen’s J39 Chair 75th Anniversary
Index
Introduction 04 About J39 Mogensen Chair 07 Børge Mogensen 1914–1972 16 J39 Mogensen Chair Worldwide 23 Image index 64 About Fredericia 68
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“It is of great importance that the things we purchase and live with do not need to be changed, but instead grow old with dignity and charm.” Andreas Graversen, Fredericia CEO 1955 –1995. Pictured with Børge Mogensen in 1969.
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Introduction
which is stronger than ever internationally. In this series of famous classics, J39 lights up as one of the most significant and one of the best-selling wooden chairs in Denmark through time.
This year, The J39 Mogensen Chair is celebrating its 75th birthday, the chair being one of the strongest manifestations of Børge Mogensen’s unsurpassed ability to create timeless furniture. Furniture that, with natural materials and their austere expression, has managed to stay current through generations across times and cultures.
But just because you were born in 1947, you do not have to be old-fashioned. And the J39 is popular as ever. The chair has long since become not just a Danish but an international icon, found in restaurants, educational institutions, and private homes from Madrid, London, and Paris to Stockholm, Osaka, New York, and Melbourne. J39 has embraced the whole world with its simple, informal and solid design language: The round wooden poles, the simple back piece, and the casual seat in paper cord.
Denmark has a unique and impressive design history built on a strong foundation consisting of legends such as Kaare Klint, Hans J. Wegner, Finn Juhl, Arne Jacobsen, Verner Panton, Nanna Ditzel and not least Børge Mogensen. Today, new generations and names such as Cecilie Manz and Space Copenhagen are well on their way to continuing the story of Danish design,
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About J39 Mogensen Chair
got a chair that had a far better comfort than the Church Chair and, despite the clear inspiration from the American Shakers, managed to be his own completely.
The J39 is a masterpiece crafted from solid wood, featuring a hand-woven seat in natural paper cord. Designed by Børge Mogensen in 1947, the clean lines and use of natural materials are all signature traits that contribute to the chair’s unwavering popularity.
Everything about the chair is in keeping with Mogensen’s vision to create high-quality, functional furniture that could make modernism design popular for all walks of society. He used established cabinetmaker’s principles often found in traditional furniture from around the world. In this case, inspiration primarily came from the Shaker movement, captured in the chair’s basic silhouette and unadorned aesthetic.
While the J39 is reminiscent of Mediterranean, Scandinavian, and Shaker furniture, its simple expression and use of materials reflect Mogensen’s personal quest for design purity. Given its versatility and appeal to virtually anyone in any environment, the J39 has been in continuous production since its introduction in 1947. The design itself is a further development of Kaare Klint’s Church Chair, which he created for Bethlehem Church in Copenhagen in 1936. And with Børge Mogensen’s interpretation, the world
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A modern essential to treasure for decades to come.
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Børge Mogensen sketching, 1943.
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Family room in Børge Mogensen’s house in Gentofte.
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Production of J39 Mogensen Chair.
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Production of J39 Mogensen Chair.
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Børge Mogensen 1914 –1972
Andreas Graversen, who would later become the owner of Fredericia Furniture.
leather, wool fabrics, and brass mountings. At the same time, he always welcomed innovations that he found were a genuine progression of his craft.
Graversen’s acquisition of Fredericia in 1955 marked the start of a professional partnership with Mogensen that developed into a strong friendship fuelled by a shared desire to create simple, high-quality furniture with an enduring aesthetic appeal. They were equally passionate about their vision and their work, resulting in a partnership that was often temperamental.
”I do become more and more narrow in my devotion. Within a very limited field, I strive to live out to the utmost border of possibilities within both the material and the shape. Sometimes I cross that border – and then I learn.”
create a sense of tranquillity and a modest appearance that encourages people to live their lives unpretentiously. He was acclaimed for his masterful sense of materials and proportions. Along with his ability to create beautiful, distinctive furniture by emphasising simple horizontal and vertical lines and surfaces. All in an attempt to create clean, aesthetically-pleasing designs that were easy to produce.
“My goal is to create items that serve people and give them the leading role, instead of forcing them to adapt to the items.”
BØRGE MOGENSEN (1914–1972) was one of the most influential designers in shaping Danish Modern design and Fredericia’s founding designer from 1955 until his untimely death in 1972. He found inspiration all over the world in his quest to create everyday objects that would endure for generations. Mogensen’s most recognised pieces were developed during his collaboration and friendship with Andreas Graversen, Fredericia’s CEO, from 1955–1995.
His furniture can be described as modest yet very self-confident – just like their creator. Throughout his career, Mogensen was one of the boldest voices in the critical debate about furniture design. While working strictly within his self-imposed dogmas, he would occasionally break his own rules without abandoning their original intent. He often criticised his peers for compromising their artistic integrity favouring short-sighted trends.
Børge Mogensen was a pioneer who helped establish Denmark as a culture of furniture design. His life-long ambition was to create durable, useful furniture that would enrich people’s everyday lives. Functional furniture for all parts of the home and society.
Mogensen preferred to work with refined yet rustic natural materials, such as solid oak,
Mogensen believed that furniture should
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One reason for Mogensen’s prolific creativity at Fredericia was Graversen’s unwavering support and willingness to fulfill his uncompromising demands for quality. Mogensen’s most iconic pieces were developed at Fredericia’s workshop. To date, Fredericia remains the primary producer of his furniture. Graversen and Mogensen’s high demands for quality, functionality, and sense of materiality are still very much alive in our approach when developing new furniture today.
A trained cabinetmaker and furniture designer, Mogensen attended the Copenhagen School of Arts and Crafts before enrolling at the school of furniture design at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts, where he was taught by Kaare Klint. After graduating in 1941, Mogensen continued to defend the ideals of evolutionary design that were essential to Klint’s principles while also expanding on design traditions. Contrary to Klint, Mogensen explored classic cabinetmaker typologies and techniques, finding new solutions that facilitated mass production. He also pursued projects that contributed to the surge in informal housing during the 1960s.
Mogensen received numerous awards and recognitions for his rich repertoire of work. In 1972, he was appointed Honourary Royal Designer for Industry at the Royal Society of Arts in London. That same year, he received the highest architectural honour in Denmark at the time, the C.F. Hansen Medal and The Eckersberg Medal, which he also won in 1950. Previously in 1971, Mogensen and Graversen jointly received the Danish Furniture Prize for their contribution to the Danish furniture industry.
Under the leadership of Mogensen, the Danish Co-operative Wholesale Society initiated a programme to renew Danish furniture culture and create modern, functional furniture for use in private homes and state institutions. Mogensen designed several pieces of furniture for the programme, including the J39, which became popularly known as “the people’s chair”.
Børge Mogensen died prematurely in 1972 at the age of 58. Examples of his most celebrated designs can be seen in leading design museums around the world.
Shortly after opening his own design firm in 1950, Mogensen began collaborating with the young interior architect and entrepreneur
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Børge Mogensen in his garden.
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J39 Mogensen Chair Worldwide
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Image index
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Detail. Oak light oil w. Natural paper cord.
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Apollo Bar & Kantine. Copenhagen, Denmark.
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Photographed with 6286 Table. Oak light oil w. Natural paper cord.
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Drewsbury Road, Dollis Hill. London, UK.
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Detail. Oak light oil w. Natural paper cord.
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Børge Mogensen’s house in Gentofte.
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House Dalarö. Dalarö, Sweden.
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Børge Mogensen’s apartment. Hostrups Have 24. Copenhagen, Denmark.
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75th Anniversary edition. Oak light oil w. Rush seat.
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Toklas Restaurant. London, UK.
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Villeneuve Residence. Montreal, Canada.
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Family room. Børge Mogensen’s house in Gentofte.
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75th Anniversary edition. Oak light oil w. Rush seat.
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House Dalarö. Dalarö, P. 44 Sweden.
Craft Cafe. Bangkok, Thailand.
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Photographed with C18 Table, about 1947-50.
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Detail. Oak black lacquered w. Natural paper cord.
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Menorca Experimental Hotel. Menorca, Spain.
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Photographed with Mogensen’s multifunctional cabinets, about 1947-50.
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75th Anniversary P. 52 edition. Oak light oil w. Rush seat.
Photographed with BM71 Library Table. Oak light oil w. Natural paper cord.
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Detail. Oak light oil.
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Room at Krogerup Folk High School, 1959. Humlebæk, Denmark.
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Family room. Børge Mogensen’s house in Gentofte.
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Angela Apartment. Ibiza, Spain.
Oak light oil w. Natural paper cord.
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Oak oiled, Walnut oiled, Oak black lacquered, Oak light oil, Walnut oiled, all w. Natural paper cord.
About Fredericia
grown over the decades and include Danish designers such as Hans J. Wegner, Nanna Ditzel, Hans Sandgren Jakobsen, and Cecilie Manz and international collaborations with, among others, Hannes Wettstein, Jasper Morrison, Keiju Takeuchi, and Hugo Passos.
Fredericia is a family-owned company founded in 1911 under the name Fredericia Stolefabrik (meaning “chair factory”). Our history is deeply rooted in Scandinavian furniture design and product development. Børge Mogensen is the solid foundation, but the collection and collaborations have
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THE PEOPLE’S CHAIR Børge Mogensen’s J39 Chair 75th Anniversary Contact
Fredericia Furniture A/S Treldevej 183 7000 Fredericia info@fredericia.com +45 7592 3344
Showrooms
Copenhagen Showroom Løvstræde 1, 4th & 5th floor 1152 Copenhagen London Showroom 1 Dufferin Street London EC1Y 8NA Oslo Showroom Drammensveien 120 0277 Oslo
@fredericiafurniture fredericia.com
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