The Chieftain Chair Turns 70

THE CHIEFTAIN CHAIR TURNS 70

FEW THINGS NEVER CHANGE

FÅ TING ÆNDRER SIG ALDRIG

WE CELEBRATE THE ULTIMATE CHAIR.

VI FEJRER DET ULTIMATIVE IKON.

THE WAY IT IS. THE WAY FINN JUHL INTENDED IT.

SOM DEN ER – SOM FINN JUHL TEGNEDE DEN.

NO GLITTERING ANNIVERSARY EDITION.

INGEN GLITRENDE JUBILÆUMSMODEL.

WHY CHANGE AN ORIGINAL?

HVORFOR ÆNDRE PÅ EN ORIGINAL?

ONE MORNING IN THE SPRING OF 1949, THE ARCHITECT FINN JUHL PLACED A PIECE OF PAPER ON HIS DRAWING BOARD AND DREW FOUR VERTICAL LINES WITH “SOMETHING” IN-BETWEEN. HE HAD NO CLUE THAT HE HAD JUST EMBARKED ON THE JOURNEY TOWARDS CREATING ONE OF THE MOST FAMOUS AND ICONIC PIECES OF DANISH FURNITURE DESIGN EVER: THE CHIEFTAIN CHAIR. DA ARKITEKTEN FINN JUHL, EN FORMIDDAG I FORÅRET 1949, SPÆNDTE ET STYKKE PAPIR OP PÅ SIT TEGNEBORD OG TEGNEDE FIRE LODRETTE STREGER MED “NOGET” IMELLEM, VIDSTE HAN IKKE, AT HAN VAR PÅ VEJ TIL AT SKABE DET, DER SKULLE BLIVE ET AF DE MEST BERØMTE OG IKONISKE MØBLER I DANSK DESIGNHISTORIE: HØVDINGESTOLEN.

70 YEARS IN THE PRESENCE OF A POWERFUL AND SENSUAL CHIEFTAIN 70 ÅR MED EN MAGTFULD OG SANSELIG HØVDING

FINN JUHL’S WAY

FINN JUHLS EGEN VEJ

Despite the critics, Finn Juhl (1912-1989) was at an early age already perceived as an outstandingly talented furniture designer. He ranked amongst the best of the best designers during, what is considered, the golden age of Danish design. Since 1937, Finn Juhl had been a regular at the annual Cabinetmakers’ Guild Exhibition where he attracted great attention. His undogmatic interpretation of functionalism, often paired with an organic and sculptural mode of expression, was rather unknown in Denmark at the time. This mode of expression was greatly influenced by Finn Juhl’s interest in contemporary international artists like Barbara Hepworth, Jean Arp, Sigurjón Ólafsson, Alexander Calder, Henry Moore and the Danish sculptor, Erik Thommesen. In addition, his interest in foreign cultures, such as African art and Ancient Egyptian furniture, was clearly visible in his designs. This expressive style was, at times, a bit much for a rather puritan Denmark.

The independent way of interpreting functionalistic ideals in his furniture meant that Finn Juhl would clash with the nestor of Danish furniture design, Kaare Klint. In 1924, Klint had established the School of Furniture at the Danish Academy of Fine Arts in Copenhagen, and he was a firm believer in functionalism, with strong opinions about how furniture should be shaped. Meanwhile, Finn Juhl also thought of himself as a functionalist, but believed that Kaare Klint’s approach to furniture design was much too rigid and schematic. Finn Juhl sought to liberate furniture design from self-imposed limitations, resulting in a range of designs that were highly experimental in terms of expression and quirky design solutions. With every new furniture iteration, Finn Juhl was slowly getting closer to what would eventually become the ultimate climax - the creation of the Chieftain Chair.

På trods af kritiske røster var Finn Juhl i en alder af 37 (1912 - 1989), allerede anset som en særdeles talentfuld møbelformgiver, der rangerede på linje med andre af periodens bedste folk. Siden 1937 havde Finn Juhl deltaget flittigt i Københavns Snedkerlaugs årlige efterårsudstillinger. Her havde han vakt stor opmærksomhed for sin udogmatiske fortolkning af funktionalismen, som han ofte parrede med et ekspressivt, organisk formsprog, der på det tidspunkt var ret ukendt i Danmark.

Dette formsprog var i høj grad inspireret af hans interesse for samtidens internationale og modernistiske kunstnere, som blandt andet talte Barbara Hepworth, Jean Arp, Sigurjón Ólafsson, Alexander Calder, Henry Moore og den danske billedhugger Erik Thommesen. Oven i det hele kom så Finn Juhls store interesse for afrikansk kunst og antikke egyptiske møbler, som han ofte forsøgte at inddrage i sit design. Tilsammen var det en stor mundfuld i et noget puritansk Danmark.

Den selvstændige måde at fortolke funktionalismens idealer på i sine møbler medførte, at Finn Juhl hurtigt kom på kant med dansk møbeldesigns nestor - arkitekten Kaare Klint. Klint havde etableret Kunstakademiets Møbelskole i København i 1924 og han var en hardcore funktionalist med meget bestemte meninger om, hvordan møbler skulle udformes. Finn Juhl opfattede imidlertid også sig selv som funktionalist, men han var af den overbevisning, at Klint havde en alt for rigid og skematisk tilgang til møbelformgivning. Finn Juhl ville hellere sætte møbelkunsten fri af alle snærende bånd, og det resulterede med tiden i en lang række møbeltyper, hvor han eksperimenterede med forskellige udtryk og løsninger. Langsomt arbejdede han sig frem mod det ultimative klimaks - Høvdingestolen.

HOUSE OF FINN JUHL

02

THE CREATION AND CONSTRUCTION OF THE CHAIR

SKABELSE OG KONSTRUKTION

Compared to his contemporary design peers Finn Juhl had one big challenge - namely that he did not have a background in furniture design. Finn Juhl was enrolled at the Department of Architecture at the Royal Academy of Arts in Copenhagen, and according to himself, he had no sense of joinery or wooden constructions. Therefore, he had to rely on his intuition and basic measurements of the human proportions when deciding how a piece of furniture was to be shaped.

In a stroke of luck, Finn Juhl met the 20-year older master joiner, Niels Vodder. Not only was he an impeccably skilled joiner, but he also had the vision to translate Finn Juhl’s rather rudimentary drawings into physical products of the highest quality.

A few years after meeting Niels Vodder, Finn Juhl developed a groundbreaking principle in his designs, where he would create a clear separation between the supporting elements (the frame) and the supported elements (backrest and seat), which clearly delimited the shape and function of each element. This principle quickly became a defining characteristic in Finn Juhl’s future designs.

The separation between supporting and supported elements is especially distinct in the Chieftain Chair. Design-wise the Chieftain is undoubtedly the most expressive and iconic piece of furniture from Finn Juhl - and he has also stated that the chair was conceived to be a big piece. About the creative process he said in a 1981 interview with the design magazine Rum og Form:

I forhold til sine samtidige møbelkolleger havde Finn Juhl det store problem - eller held, om man vil - at han ikke havde en snedkermæssig baggrund eller en uddannelse inden for møbeldesign. Finn Juhl havde læst til bygningsarkitekt på Kunstakademiets Arkitektskole, og da han, ifølge eget udsagn, derfor ikke anede noget som helst om hverken snedkerhåndværk, konstruktioner i træ eller møbelformgivning, måtte han stole på sin intuitive fornemmelse af, hvordan et møbel skulle udformes. Og i øvrigt måle og føle sig frem undervejs for at få styr på menneskets proportioner. Heldigvis mødte Finn Juhl meget tidligt i sin karriere den 20 år ældre snedkermester Niels Vodder. Niels Vodder var ikke alene en særdeles dygtig snedker, han var også i stand til at omsætte Finn Juhls flyvske ideer, og ofte ret rudimentære tegninger, til fysiske produkter af høj kvalitet.

Få år efter mødet med Niels Vodder udviklede Finn Juhl et nyt og banebrydende princip i sit design af træmøbler, hvor han skabte en klar opdeling af møblerne i henholdsvis et bærende element (stellet) og de bårne elementer (sæde og ryg), som redegjorde for de enkelte elementers form og funktion. Dette princip var Finn Juhls helt egen idé, og det blev hurtigt et kendetegn for hans måde at tænke møbler på fremover. Den opdeling, af det bærende og det bårne, er særdeles tydelig i Høvdingestolen fra 1949, som designmæssigt er en kraftpræstation og uden tvivl Finn Juhls mest ekspressive og ikoniske møbel. Ifølge Finn Juhl selv var Høvdingestolen fra begyndelsen af da også tænkt som et stort

“I started drawing the Chieftain Chair one day in the spring of 1949. I was at home, and I started drawing a small sketch around 10 AM with just four vertical lines connected to something. By two or three o’clock in the morning I had painted it. But in reality, I don’t know how long it took me to design that chair. Perhaps I had a vague idea for some time that I wanted to design something bigger. There had been so many small, handy chairs, so I probably felt like designing something a bit more pompous...”

More pompous it is indeed. With a total width of one meter, a pair of characteristic armrests, as well as a big and tall backrest, the Chieftain Chair takes up a lot of room and requires quite a lot of space to be fully appreciated. The Chieftain Chair was introduced at the Cabinetmakers’ Guild Exhibition in 1949.

Immediately it attracted much attention, not only due to its size but also because of its organic shape and exotic expression. However, not everyone was equally enthusiastic about Finn Juhl’s newest piece.

The Norwegian architect and design critic, Odd Brockmann, described the chair as “four failed omelets that were hung on a rack”. In an interview later on Finn Juhl had a nice little response to this particular piece of critique: “I will admit, that as an omelet, it was terribly useless”.

03

møbel. Om tilblivelsesprocessen fortalte han i et interview i 1981 til designtidsskriftet Rum og Form: “Høvdingestolen begyndte jeg at tegne en eller anden dag i foråret ’49. Jeg var hjemme hos mig selv, og jeg begyndte omkring kl. 10 om morgenen med en skitse i cirka 5 centimeters højde - bare fire lodrette streger forbundet med ‘noget’ - og da klokken var 2-3 om natten, så havde jeg malet den, og så gik den afsted. Men jeg ved ikke, hvor længe, jeg har været om at lave den stol. Det kan være, at jeg har haft den i tankerne som en vag idé om, at jeg f.eks. gerne ville lave en stor stol. Der var jo så mange små handy stole på den tid, så jeg havde vel lyst til en mere pompøs stol”.

Og pompøs er stolen da også. Med næsten en meter i bredden, et par markante armlæn og en stor, høj ryg, fylder Høvdingestolen temmelig meget i et rum og kræver en hel del luft omkring sig for at komme til sin ret. Høvdingestolen blev præsenteret på Københavns Snedkerlaugs efterårsudstilling i 1949, og den vakte med det samme stor opmærksomhed for sin størrelse og organiske formsprog. Men det var dog ikke alle, der var lige begejstrede for Finn Juhls nyeste værk.

Den norske arkitekt og designanmelder Odd Brockmann omtalte således stolen som “fire mislykkede omeletter, der var hængt op på et stativ”. I et senere interview havde Finn Juhl imidlertid en fin kommentar til den anmeldelse: “Jeg vil da indrømme, at som omelet betragtet, var den helt umulig”.

HOUSE OF FINN JUHL

NAMING A FUTURE ICON

NAVNGIVNING AF ET FREMTIDIGT IKON

On his project papers Finn Juhl had simply written “The Big Chair” and when the chair was initially displayed in 1949 it was referred to as NV 49. Later on, Finn Juhl revealed that the name “the Chieftain Chair” came about as a coincidence: “King Frederik and Queen Ingrid of Denmark used to be so kind to open the exhibition. When the chair was brought in someone asked me who the chair was for, jokingly I answered “King Frederik”. However, of course we couldn’t call it “the King Chair” or “the King Frederik Chair” because he hadn’t asked for it, nor had we asked him. Then I played it off by saying that it was for some random chieftain - and that’s all there is to it”.

På sine projekttegninger havde Finn Juhl blot skrevet “Den store stol” og til selve Laugsudstillingen blev stolen betegnet NV 49. Senere har Finn Juhl fortalt, at det karakteristiske navn, Høvdingestolen, kom til som lidt af en tilfældighed: “Kong Frederik den 9. og dronning Ingrid plejede jo at være så elskværdige at komme og åbne udstillingerne og gå en runde for at kigge på standende - og da stolen blev båret ind, var der en eller anden, der spurgte mig, hvem stolen var til. Og så sagde jeg for sjov skyld, at den var til “kong Frederik”. Men vi fandt jo ud af, at vi ikke kunne kalde den Kongestolen eller Kong Frederik-stolen, for det havde han jo ikke bedt om, og vi havde heller ikke spurgt om det. Og så slog jeg det hen med, at den var til en eller anden høvding”.

HOUSE OF FINN JUHL

04

FROM SIZE AND SHAPE TO ANCIENT INSPIRATION

DIMENSIONER OG FREMMEDE KULTURER

Much of the furniture created during the golden age of Danish furniture design from 1940-1960 drew inspiration from foreign cultures. Naturally, Finn Juhl also had his muses. Especially ancient Egyptian furniture dating back 3000-4000 years intrigued him. Therefore, it is no coincidence that the imposing Chieftain Chair draws direct parallels to early Egyptian furniture. In a 1975 interview with the Danish newspaper Politiken, Finn Juhl said that the inspiration for his 1949-display at the Guild Exhibition occured from a visit to the Louvre in Paris: “Honestly, I stole the construction. Furthermore, I stole the right angle and curved back. It is important to note that I have been more amazed by the simplest and most elegant furniture from Egypt than I have with any other ancient furniture”.

Upon closer inspection of the Chieftain Chair it becomes abundantly clear that references to Egyptian furniture exist, because the chair is finished with a drop-like corbel in the joint on the top of the rear legs - an ancient, intricate little detail. The grand size of the chair can leave people wondering, but it was carefully calculated.

Finn Juhl wanted to create an armchair in wood with the possibility to sit in a multitude of ways.

To Finn Juhl, the shaping of furniture was not about subscribing to a strictly functional paradigm. Quite on the contrary in fact. To him, it was much more a question of focusing on the humane and organic impressions of a piece. It was this challenging intension that exhilarated Finn Juhl in his work as a furniture designer and this approach is undoubtedly the reason why there is still so much hype around his furniture today - especially the Chieftain Chair.

Not many contemporary pieces of furniture can measure up to the embracing sensuousness and loving shape - sensuality if you will - that the Chieftain Chair is a representative of. Luckily it was not lost in the mist of forgetfulness.

Mange af de møbeltyper, som blev skabt i dansk møbeldesigns guldalder i perioden 1940 til 1960, havde udenlandske stilarter som inspirationskilde.

Finn Juhl havde også sine internationale referencer, og i hans tilfælde var det især antikkens egyptiske møbeltyper med 3-4000 år på bagen, der optog ham.

Det er således ikke en tilfældighed, at den imposante Høvdingestol har tydelige spor til tidlig egyptisk møbelkunst. I et interview til dagbladet Politiken i 1975 fortalte Finn Juhl, at inspirationen til Høvdingestolen og de øvrige møbler, som blev vist på Laugsudstillingen i 1949, stammede fra et besøg på kunstmuseet Louvre i Paris: “Jeg har, ærligt indrømmet, hugget konstruktionen, ligesom jeg har hugget den rette vinkel og cirkelslaget. Det skal også indrømmes, at jeg har været, og er, mere betaget af de enkleste og eleganteste møbler fra Egypten, end af andre af fortidens møbler”.

Kigger man mere nøje på Høvdingestolen, er der en meget klar reference til egyptisk møbelkunst, idet stolen afsluttes med en fin lille detalje i samlingen mellem rygsprosser og bagben, der er udformet som en dråbeformet udkragning. Den store størrelse på stolen kan godt undre - og selv den dag i dag bliver folk ofte overraskede, når de ser den store stol i virkeligheden. Men størrelsen var nøje kalkuleret fra Finn Juhls side.

Han ville skabe en lænestol i træ, hvor man kunne sidde på forskellige måder. For Finn Juhl drejede møbelformgivning sig ikke om at holde sig til et strengt funktionalistisk paradigme, snarere tværtimod. For ham var møbelformgivning i meget højere grad et spørgsmål om at sætte det humanistiske og organiske helhedsindtryk i et møbel på frit spil.

Det var denne udfordrende usikkerhed, der optog Finn Juhl i sit arbejde som møbelformgiver, og det er uden tvivl den tilgang, der i dag har skabt den store interesse for hans møbler. Især Høvdingestolen.

Finn Juhl sitting in the Chieftain Chair in front of his house north of Copenhagen.

05

HOUSE OF FINN JUHL

“THE CHIEFTAIN DOES NOT NEED ANY “EXTRA SPARKLE”. THERE IS SOMETHING ENTIRELY DIFFERENT AT PLAY HERE. DESPITE ITS 70 YEARS OF AGE, IT HAS NEVER BEEN MORE CURRENT. WE BELIEVE THAT THIS IS DUE TO THE WAY THE CHAIR APPEALS TO THE SENSES, THE FEELINGS AND THE ARTISTIC EXPRESSION. YOU SIMPLY FEEL LIKE A CHIEFTAIN WHILE SEATED!” - HANS HENRIK SØRENSEN, FOUNDER OF ONECOLLECTION

HOUSE OF FINN JUHL

06

THE CHIEFTAIN CHAIR TODAY

HØVDINGESTOLEN I DAG

In 2001, when Ivan Hansen and Hans Henrik Sørensen were granted the exclusive rights to produce and relaunch Finn Juhl’s furniture, the Chieftain Chair was among the first designs they wanted to revive. 18 years later, the two furniture geeks are still the front figures at House of Finn Juhl. Their attitude towards relaunching Finn Juhl’s iconic furniture has remained the same throughout this stint. They do not shy away from a daring challenge.

Multiple reasons constituted Henrik and Ivan’s decision to relaunch the Chieftain.

First of all, it has a very special backstory. But furthermore, because of its sheer size and sensuous shape, it draws attention from design circles as well as from people who usually do not pay much attention to furniture. Ivan and Henrik felt that the qualities of the Chieftain were hard to overlook.

The Chieftain Chair was - and remains to this day - a very complicated and costly chair to produce. However, with the help of uncompromising craftsmen in Japan, they succeeded.

And they didn’t regret the decision. In 2012, the Chieftain Chair received the coveted award ‘Danish Design Award - Classic’. The jury had this to say about the winner: “The Chieftain Chair is an inspiration for a new generation of furniture designers as a symbol that focuses on ultimate quality, international format and a strong will to break the chains of tradition”.

Today, no one questions Finn Juhl’s groundbreaking ideas. The old Vodder-versions of the Chieftain Chair sell for enormous sums on auctions worldwide. This is a testament to the fact that the chair has indeed achieved international status and is considered a valuable collector’s item. This year, the chair that has reached iconic status, turns 70.

At House of Finn Juhl this is celebrated by changing absolutely nothing at all.

Hans Henrik Sørensen explains: “The Chieftain Chair liberated itself from the strict tradition of functionalism, both in terms of organic shapes, unique construction and impeccable quality. The chair is exactly as it is supposed to be, which is why we refrain from the tendency of launching an anniversary model. The Chieftain does not need any “extra sparkle”.

There is something entirely different at play here. Despite its 70 years of age, it has never been more current. We believe that this is due to the way the chair appeals to the senses, the feelings and the artistic expression. You simply feel like a chieftain while seated!”

Der er ikke mange nutidige møbler, der kan måle sig med den omfavnende sanselighed og kærlighed til formen - sensualitet, om man vil - som Høvdingestolen er repræsentant for. Heldigvis forsvandt den markante stol ikke i glemslens tåger.

Da Ivan Hansen og Hans Henrik Sørensen i 2001 fik overdraget alle rettighederne til at producere og relancere Finn Juhls møbler, var Høvdingestolen et af de første møbler, som de ønskede at vække til live igen. De to inkarnerede møbelnørder, der i dag 18 år senere stadig er frontfigurer i House of Finn Juhl, tager gerne en chance - og med Høvdingestolen så de dengang en mulighed for at genintroducere en helt særlig stol. Høvdingestolen var - og er til stadighed - en både kompliceret og kostbar stol at fremstille.

Men med hjælp fra kompromisløse japanske håndværkere lykkedes det.

Der var flere årsager til, at Henrik og Ivan turde satse på stolen. Den bærer ikke alene på en unik historie, men i kraft af sin størrelse og det sanselige formsprog tiltrækker den opmærksomhed fra både designinteresserede såvel som de, der normalt ikke spekulerer ret meget på møbler. Ivan og Henrik troede begge på, at stolens iboende kvaliteter ikke ville være til at overse. Og de fik ret.

I 2012 gik den danske pris ‘Danish Design Award - Classic’ til Høvdingestolen.

Hertil sagde juryen: “Høvdingestolen står i dag som en inspiration for en ny generation af møbelkunstnere og som symbol på, at fokus på ultimativ kvalitet, internationalt format og vilje til at bryde tradition, kan være vejen til at gøre en forskel som designer”.

I dag er der således ingen der længere tvivler på Finn Juhls møbler og deres eksistensberettigelse. De gamle Vodder-versioner af Høvdingestolen opnår utrolige hammerslag på auktioner verden over, hvilket vidner om, at stolen har opnået international status og betragtes som et kostbart samleobjekt. I år fylder stolen, der for længst har opnået sin velfortjente ikonstatus, 70 år. Hos House of Finn Juhl fejres dette ved, at der ikke ændres på noget. Hans Henrik Sørensen fortæller: “Høvdingestolen frigjorde sig fra den strenge traditionelle funktionalisme både i kraft af sine organiske former, unikke konstruktion og vanvittigt høje kvalitet. Stolen er fuldstændig som den skal være, og derfor går vi altså imod tendensen omkring jubilæumsmodeller. Høvdingestolen behøver ikke “ekstra glimmer”. Her er der noget helt andet på spil. Selvom den er fyldt 70 år, har den aldrig været mere aktuel, og det tror vi skyldes, at den appellerer til sanserne, følelserne og det kunstneriske. Man føler sig ganske enkelt som en høvding, når man sætter sig i den”.

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HOUSE OF FINN JUHL

PHOTO: MINGOPHOTO

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