Arne Jacobsen - New Now & Design Hong Kong Sunday, November 26, 2023 | Phillips

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  • Trained as an architect, the Danish designer Arne Jacobsen believed that every element of a design should serve a purpose, and aesthetics should harmonise with utility. His prolific career saw him create numerous iconic pieces of furniture, lighting, and architecture that continue to influence and inspire designers today.

     

    The present pair of 'Tongue' chairs with their reduced silhouette are an example of Jacobsen’s innovative approach to furniture design that defies convention. The works display a fusion of modern aesthetics and an unusual material combination. The sleek and ergonomic beech-veneered plywood shell, which serves as a seat and backrest and sits on top of steel legs with rubber feet represent a departure from the more frequently seen Danish designs which favour an all-wood construction. Over the next decade Jacobsen would return again and again to this simple construction method which he developed with Fritz Hansen for various other designs, such as the ‘Ant’ or the ‘Lily’ chair.

     

    The ‘Tongue’ chair model was meant to be included in two of his most acclaimed projects, in the Munkegaard School in 1957 and the interior of the acclaimed SAS Royal Hotel in Copenhagen in 1960.

    • Literature

      Carsten Thau and Kjeld Vindum, Arne Jacobsen, Copenhagen, 2001, p. 394
      Arne Karlsen, Danish Furniture Design in the 20th Century, Volume 2, Copenhagen, 2007, p. 131

53

Pair of 'Tongue' chairs, model no. 3106

beech-veneered plywood, chromium-plated steel, rubber
Each: 77 x 42 x 50 cm. (30 3/8 x 16 1/2 x 19 5/8 in.)
Designed in 1955. Manufactured by Fritz Hansen, Denmark. Underside of each chair impressed with manufacturer's logo and DANMARK.

Full Cataloguing

Estimate
HK$8,000 - 12,000 
€940-1,400
$1,000-1,500

Contact Specialist

Angela Tian
Associate Specialist, Head of New Now & Design Sale
20th Century & Contemporary Art, Hong Kong
+852 2318 2058
AngelaTian@phillips.com

New Now & Design

Hong Kong Auction 26 November 2023