Get to know iconic designer Arne Jacobsen in 8 quick facts.
He’s one of Denmark’s most celebrated designers and still influences so much of contemporary design. But who actually is Arne Jacobsen and what is he so famous for? Here are some quick facts to put him on your map!
- From a young age, it was clear that Arne had creative talent. He originally wanted to be a painter but his father felt that architecture was a more practical pursuit.
2. Arne travelled all around the world to expand his creative horizons. He made the voyage to New York as a sailor and spent time as a bricklayer in Germany. Italy became somewhere Arne visited frequently to paint accurate, atmospheric watercolours.
3. Jacobsen’s career as an ultra-modern architect was boosted by winning some major awards: one of them was given by the Danish Architect’s Association for his ‘House of the Future’ design. The glass and concrete house was flat-roofed, spiral-shaped, had a conveyor tube for letters, windows that rolled down like those of cars, a helipad, and a boathouse.
4. People have rioted and protested against Jacobsen’s ultra-modern buildings. One incident was for Gammeltorv’s Stelling House, which prompted a newspaper to print that Jacobsen should be ‘banned from architecture for life.’
5. During World War II, Jacobsen was persecuted for his Jewish heritage. With some assistance from the Danish resistance, Jacobsen rowed a boat to Sweden in order to escape the Nazi persecution.
6. Jacobsen’s chair designs are particularly famous. The sleek curved contours of the Egg, Swan and Drop chairs were viewed as ultra modern and unlike much achieved in furniture design previously.
7. In everything he did, Jacobsen embodied the concept of Gesamtkunst, which means seeing everything as a work of art.
8. In Great Britain, he designed St. Catherine’s College, Oxford, which even involved landscaping the garden and designed details such as the silverware, china, chairs, lamps and door handles. He also chose the fish for the pond!
Want to browse through all of Arne Jacobsen’s famous designs? Click right here and enjoy!
Title image credit: propertydesign.pl