Danish modernism knows many exceptional talents, including architects and designers in the most diverse fields, from textile to furniture design and from sacred buildings to public and private architecture. Finn Juhl is one of the stars of the scene, and his furniture designs now sell for top prices at international auctions. Mid-Century Modern from Scandinavia - Carl J. D'Silva dedicates a comprehensive monograph to the Chieftain Chair, an icon of design history, published by Oro Editions.
Copyright Oro Editions 2025
An American dream
After studying architecture at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts until 1934, Juhl found a job with Vilhelm Lauritzen. He began designing furniture early on as an autodidact. His work became known through an article by the American architect and author Edgar Kaufmann in the magazine Interiors. Shortly afterwards, they became famous, particularly in the USA - Juhl's first exhibition of furniture was in Chicago. In 1954 and 57, the architect took part in the Triennale in Milan, where he received several awards. He became famous for the design of a conference room at the UN headquarters in New York and, in the 1960s, for the Danish embassy in Washington D.C. and the interior design of the Scandinavian airline SAS. Today, his designs can be found in the permanent collections of several major museums such as the Museum of Modern Art in New York and the Victoria & Albert Museum in London.--
Context, theory, stories
The 358-page monograph by Carl J. D'Silva tells the story of Finn Juhl's iconic Chieftain Chair and a rediscovered sketch of the chair's design. In 2021, the American architect and design researcher acquired the drawing at an auction in Chicago. His book tells the story of Finn Juhl's best-known design and uncovers the background. The historical context from Kare Klint to post-war modernism in Denmark is explained and the armchair - walnut wood upholstered with Vacona leather – is categorized historically in design history and properly explained in the field of design theory. So many pages for one armchair - and a whole world to discover! Sandra Hofmeister
Carlo J. D'Silva, ‘Lost Danish Treasure. A lost masterpiece of Finn Juhl has been found... no one realized it was missing.’ hardcover, 358 pages, Oro Editions, San Francisco, Los Angeles, New York, Shenzen, Autumn 2024, ISBN 978-1-961856-22-6
