The
legacy of Poul Kjaerholm is distinctive within the Danish
tradition for being both minimalist and elegant. He apprenticed
as a cabinetmaker at the School of Arts and Crafts in Copenhagen.
Though his training was in carpentry and woodworking he came
to prefer industrial production methods and he made extensive
use of steel frames in the designs of his chairs. It was the
combination of steel frames with natural materials like leather,
rattan, and canvases that is Kjaerholm’s defining feature
setting him apart from his Danish contemporaries. The modernist
works of le Corbusier and Breuer have been credited as influencing
him in these choices.
One
of Kjaerholm’s most well known chairs is the “PK
22” which is a sleek and minimalist easy chair constructed
of leather covering a spring steel frame. This chair is still
extensively used in the Copenhagen international airport Kastrup
and, is the design for which he was awarded the prestigious
Lunning Award in 1958. Another example of Kjaerholm’s
work is the “PK 24” lounge chair or “Hammock
Chaise.” This work exhibits an upholstered headrest
and woven cane seat over a steel frame that tilts the legs
up on a gentle slope. This chair is still produced by Fritz
Hansen and recently made an appearance in the 2002 science
fiction film “Minority Report.” Kjaerholm also
designed tables. The “PK 61” table, for example,
is a large, clear plate glass top effortlessly supported on
thin, chrome legs. His close friend E. Kold Christensen originally
produced Kjaerholm’s work. Since 1982, however, Fritz
Hansen has continued production.
In addition to his work as an independent designer, Poul Kjaerholm
was a teacher at the School of Arts and Crafts in Copenhagen
from 1952-1956. In 1958 he joined the faculty at the Royal
Academy of Art as an assistant. In 1959 he would become a
lecturer and in 1976 he was finally awarded full professorship
in the department of furniture and interior design where he
served until his untimely death in 1980. During his career
he received several awards for his work including two Grand
Prix at the Milan Trienalle in 1957 and 1960. Since these
award winning works have been given places in the permanent
collections of New York’s Museum of Modern Art and other
museums like it around the world and are still in production
today, we can agree with other commentators that Kjaerholm’s
significance is not confined to one era in design history
but is in some sense beyond eras. |
