Arne
Jacobsen is the Danish architect who mastered the most personal
and successful interpretation of the international functionalism.
His architecture includes a considerable number of epochmaking
buildings in Denmark, Germany and Great Britain. Arne Jacobsen
initially trained as a mason before studying architecture
at the Royal Danish Academy of Arts, Copenhagen, graduating
in 1927.
From
1927 until 1930, he worked in the architectural office of
Paul Holsoe. In 1930, he established his own design office,
which he headed until his death in 1971, and worked independently
as an architect, interior, furniture, textile and ceramics
designer. He was proffessor of Architecture at the Royal Academy
of Arts, Copenhagen, from 1956 onwards. His best known projects
are St. Catherine's College, Oxford, and the SAS Hotel, Copenhagen.
Arne
Jacobsen's designs came into existence as brief sketches and
were then modelled in plaster or cardboard in full size. He
kept on working until his revolutionary ideas for new furniture
had been realized at the utmost perfection. The "Ant" from
1952 became the starting point of his world fame as a furniture
designer and became the first of a number of lightweight chairs
with seat and back in one oiece of moulded wood. |
