Hans J. Wegner - 20th Century & Contemporary Art & Design Day Sale Hong Kong Thursday, July 9, 2020 | Phillips
  • Description

    A Century of Modern Design: the Collection of Kai-Yin Lo
    Hong Kong-based collector Kai-Yin Lo amassed an extraordinary collection that reflects inspiration, innovation and scholarship. The collection of modern and contemporary design is global in its scope and vast in its chronological sweep.

    現代設計的世紀回顧——羅啟妍女士收藏
    現居香港的藏家羅啟妍豐富非凡的典藏,不僅深具啟發、創新以及學術精神,這個著眼於現代及當代設計的收藏,深具國際視野,也廣泛橫跨了各個發展時期。

  • Provenance

    Piasa, Paris, ‘Design Scandinave vs Américain’, 17 September 2014, lot 106
    Friedman Benda, New York
    Acquired from the above by the present owner

  • Literature

    Johan Møller Nielson, Wegner en Dansk Møbelkunstner, Copenhagen, 1965, pp. 75-76, 106-07
    Grete Jalk, ed., Dansk Møbelkunst gennem 40 aar, Volume 3: 1947-1956, Copenhagen, 1987, pp. 325-27
    Jens Bernsen, Hans J Wegner: om Design, exh. cat., Dansk Design Center, Copenhagen, 1995, pp. 23, 80
    Noritsugu Oda, Danish Chairs, San Francisco, 1996, p. 119
    Christian Holmsted Olesen, Wegner: just one good chair, exh. cat., Design Museum Denmark, Copenhagen, 2014, pp. 67, 138-39

  • Catalogue Essay

    The present model was exhibited at the 'Copenhagen Cabinetmakers’ Guild', Kunstindustrimuseet, Copenhagen, 30 September-16 October 1955, Stand 24.

    Functionality is one of the prime tenets of Scandinavian modernism, and this chair reveals Hans Wegner’s interest in ergonomics and creating a chair with maximum utility. Whereas most Scandinavian chair designs use only wood, fabric, or cane, Wegner implemented metal in the base of the chair as a way to fully extend the functionality of his design. The chair’s sculptural curves and the use of metal make the backrest and armrests appear as if they are floating while also providing a surprising yet beautiful addition to Wegner’s modernist visual vocabulary.

Eternal Form - A Century of Modern and Contemporary Design

157

Early swivel armchair, model no. JH502

designed 1955
teak, chromium-plated metal, leather
73 x 72 x 54 cm. (28 3/4 x 28 3/8 x 21 1/4 in.)
Executed by master cabinetmaker Johannes Hansen, Copenhagen, Denmark. Underside with metal label printed JOHANNES HANSEN/CABINET MAKER/COPENHAGEN - DENMARK/DESIGN: H.J. WEGNER and with manufacturer's stamp. Designed 1955.

Estimate
HK$100,000 - 150,000 
€10,900-16,300
$12,800-19,200

Sold for HK$125,000

Contact Specialist
Danielle So
Associate Specialist, Head of Day Sale

20th Century & Contemporary Art & Design Day Sale

Hong Kong Auction 9 July 2020