100 years of wegner

100 YEARS OF WEGNERThe sTory of hans J. Wegner and Carl hansen & søn

- a unique parTnership -

carlhansen.com

Wegner 100_år_omslag_m_ryg.indd 1 1/30/14 3:34 PM

HANS J. WEGNER 100 YEARS 2 35

tials in soft organic shapes, perfectly com-municating Carl Hansen & Søn’s approach to furniture production. An approach defined by a commitment to long-lived furniture produced using the finest mate-rials and with the utmost respect for the environment – embodying craftsmanship, quality and tradition.A number of new Wegner pieces will be introduced over the course of the year, with both the furniture and new logo pay-ing tribute to Wegner’s remarkable sense of design and craftsmanship.

The steady interest in Wegner’s extensive body of work has seen a very noticeable increase in recent years. His design was, in many cases, far ahead of its time. In some cases, it was so visionary that, for instance, it took 35 years for the Shell Chair to attain popular success, as Wegner’s contem-poraries regarded it as too avantgarde in appearance.Today, many of Wegner’s pieces occupy the upper echelons of Danish furniture design, embodying unparalleled craftsmanship and quality. His designs have a significance that extends beyond the period in which they were created and the original purpose for which they were designed. They are difficult to surpass, but ideal to learn from.


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The story of the collaboration between

Hans J. Wegner and Carl Hansen & Søn

dates back 65 years. In 1949,

Carl Hansen & Søn, which today has over

a century-long tradition of craftsmanship

behind it, became one of the playgrounds

Wegner would frequent over the years.

The creative partnership produced a

series of chairs that have become

widely recognized as modern classics

and treasured collector’s items around

the world.

Many of Wegner’s works

are still produced by

Carl Hansen & Søn,

remaining highly

contemporary despite

having been designed

over 50 years ago.

Carl Hansen & Søn is

the world’s largest

manufacturer of

furniture designed by

Wegner.

The sTory of hans J. Wegner and Carl hansen & søn

- A unIque pArTnerSHIp -

Wegner 100 år_brochure.indd 3 1/30/14 3:59 PM

Carl Hansen’s first workshop in the town of Odense, Denmark

In 1918 Carl Hansen employed 15 journey-men and apprentices

A fATeful pArTnerSHIp TAkeS fOrMThe Carl Hansen & Søn story began in 1908, when master cabinetmaker Carl Hansen set up a small furniture workshop. With only a few staff, the business manu-factured furniture to order. Carl Hansen was quick to see the potential of serial production, but not until 1915 was he able to open a factory capable of manufactur-ing small series of the most sought-after furniture. In 1918, the company employed 15 journeymen and apprentices. Gradually, Carl Hansen realized that if he wished to

continue to develop his business, he would need to collaborate with architects.

In 1934, heart disease forced Carl Hansen to leave the running of the business to his 23-year-old son, Holger Hansen. nine years later, Holger Hansen was made a full partner in the company, which then became Carl Hansen & Søn. In the years that followed, the company expanded its activities, paving the way for Holger

HAnS J. WeGner 100 YeArS 4


Carl Hansen

Holger Hansen

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Hansen’s vision of reaching a bigger market – preferably with entry into the united States. Together with his business associate Mogens Tuck from the furniture factory Andreas Tuck in Odense, Denmark, and their mutual friend and representative ejvind kold Christensen, Holger Hansen decided to focus exclusively on manu-facturing high-quality design pieces – an ambitious vision that would later be fully realized and refined.

The design and architecture communities had begun to notice the young Hans J. Wegner, who particularly through the latter half of the 1940s impressed critics with his elegant, visionary furniture designs at the Copenhagen Cabinetmakers’ Guild exhibitions. Having closely followed Wegner’s early career, Holger Hansen felt that the young furniture designer would be the right partner for a furniture collection collaboration with Carl Hansen & Søn. In 1949, Holger Hansen arranged a meeting with Wegner, certain that a partnership had the potential to help grow the business.

Wegner’s first designs had been produced at two small carpentry workshops, but by

the mid-1940s he had already produced two rocking chairs and several office furniture pieces at various factories in the Jutland region of Denmark, where he lived during the war. A collaboration with Carl Hansen & Søn would enable him to reach an even wider audience. The pro-spect piqued Wegner’s interest – perhaps in part because the focus would be on chair design – and the two men agreed that Wegner would present proposals for a few chairs. A new partnership and furniture adventure had begun.

The year was 1949, and as the story goes, having completed his drawings, Wegner bicycled from Copenhagen to Odense – a full day’s journey – where the Hansen family furniture business was situated. Once there, Wegner moved into the Hansen family villa, spending the night in the eldest son’s bedroom.


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THe fIrST pIeCeS Of furnITure

from the start, Wegner’s designs were unique and unprecedented. In his first three weeks at Carl Hansen & Søn, Wegner designed four chairs – CH22, CH23, CH24 and CH25. CH24 is the product code for the now iconic and world-famous Wishbone Chair. Wegner employed advanced elements such as steam-bent backs, organic forms, light-colored wood, and woven seats in complex construc-tions that culminated in simple yet elegant designs.

Wegner’s first collection for Carl Hansen & Søn was unveiled in 1950, and was an immediate, massive success. Despite receiving mixed initial reactions from consumers, the Wishbone Chair was later dubbed ‘Denmark’s national chair’ – demonstrating the highly vision-ary nature of Wegner’s design. Interest in the first collection was not limited to Denmark, and in 1952 Holger Hansen established a network of authorized dealers in the uSA.

With commercial success attained, Holger Hansen – who had taken a chance on the young architect – could breathe a sigh of relief. further proof of Wegner’s innate talent came in the fact that two of the chairs from the initial collection – CH24 and CH25 – have been in continuous production ever since.

The Wishbone Chair today (opposite) and the early versions of CH22, CH23, CH24 (Wishbone Chair) and CH25 (this page)


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up TO THe preSenT DAY

Carl Hansen & Søn offers a good example of how much a talented designer can mean for a business. Conversely, when Holger Hansen made the fateful decision in 1949 to back the young architect’s furniture design, he enabled Wegner’s design to reach a far wider market.

The success was reinforced when, in 1951, Holger Hansen, Mogens Tuck, ejvind kold Christensen and Hans J. Wegner joined

forces with three other Danish manu-facturers of Wegner’s designs, forming Salesco. A sales and marketing organiza-tion, Salesco sold Wegner’s furniture at home and abroad through the 1950s and 60s. Spearheaded by Wegner, the company played an important role in the global boom of Danish furniture design, and for several years enjoyed outstanding export success.


Three generations of Hansen at the 50th Anniversary of Carl Hansen & Søn in 1958


knud erik Hansen

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After Holger Hansen passed away suddenly in 1962, his widow, ella Hansen, maintained control of the family business, ensuring its continued success. The couple’s eldest son, Jørgen Gerner, joined the company, assuming control in 1988.

In 2002, the couple’s youngest son, knud erik Hansen, took over as CeO. Since then, the family-owned business from the funen region of Denmark has significantly expanded its international outreach, with Carl Hansen & Søn becomingthe world’s largest manufacturer of furniture designed by Wegner. Just like his father, Holger Hansen, knud erik Hansen is passionately committed to maintaining and sharing Wegner’s unrivaled design on the international design arena.

Carl Hansen & Søn works closely with the Hans J. Wegner’s Studio, which with a knowing hand ensures that Wegner’s designs are recreated or modified with the greatest respect for Wegner’s original drawings and design philosophy.

from 1908 to the present day, a passion for quality craftsmanship has been the

guiding inspiration for Carl Hansen & Søn – a company rooted in the belief that exceptional workmanship and thoughtful production can go hand in hand. More than a century after the company was founded, that dedication is apparent in its combination of classic craftsmanship values and modern technology. The result is a furniture collection created by one of Denmark’s greatest 20th century furniture designers, whose every piece tells a unique story.


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HANS J. wegNer 100 YeArS 18

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HANS J. WEGNER 100 YEARS 2 35

tials in soft organic shapes, perfectly com-municating Carl Hansen & Søn’s approach to furniture production. An approach defined by a commitment to long-lived furniture produced using the finest mate-rials and with the utmost respect for the environment – embodying craftsmanship, quality and tradition.A number of new Wegner pieces will be introduced over the course of the year, with both the furniture and new logo pay-ing tribute to Wegner’s remarkable sense of design and craftsmanship.

The steady interest in Wegner’s extensive body of work has seen a very noticeable increase in recent years. His design was, in many cases, far ahead of its time. In some cases, it was so visionary that, for instance, it took 35 years for the Shell Chair to attain popular success, as Wegner’s contem-poraries regarded it as too avantgarde in appearance.Today, many of Wegner’s pieces occupy the upper echelons of Danish furniture design, embodying unparalleled craftsmanship and quality. His designs have a significance that extends beyond the period in which they were created and the original purpose for which they were designed. They are difficult to surpass, but ideal to learn from.


100 YEARS OF WEGNERThe sTory of hans J. Wegner and Carl hansen & søn

- a unique parTnership -

carlhansen.com


100 years of wegner

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