DISTINKT - Key Persons

Borge Mogensen is one of the most recognisable names in Danish Design and known throughout the world. Mogensen started as a cabinet maker in 1934 and later studied furniture design followed by architecture. He graduated from the prestigious Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts Furniture School, led by Kaare Klint. Klint and Mogensen would later form a deep and long lasting mutual respect for each others work and design philosophies. After graduating, Mogensen worked with Kaare Klint and many other influential designers. At the age of 28 he was appointed to the position of chief designer at FDB Møbler design studio. (FDB being the Danish manufacturing and retail cooperative, of which nearly a fifth of the Danish population are members of). After numerous awards and accolades, Børge Mogensen left FDB in 1950 in order to establish his own studio. In 1952, he started working with a gentleman called Andreas Graversen. In 1955 Graversen took over the famous and respected furniture manufacturer, Fredericia Furniture. Børge Mogensen then became Fredericia Furniture's first retained designer. He helped shape the vision of the company. Furthermore, he changed the way the world looks at design. Mogensen's philosophy is marked by the visual tranquillity of clean, simple lines, with strong construction and uncompromising quality. Yet, it had to be within people's reach. Unlike many designers of his time, Mogensen worked mostly with wood. Although his material was typically sourced locally, his designs were inspired from cultures and styles around the world. An example of this is Mogensen's inspiration from historic works, ethnic arts and Japanese carvings. One of his most famous pieces, the Spanish Chair, was inspired from a trip to Spain. It was launched at an innovative living space exhibition in 1958.

Hans J. Wegner is without a doubt one of the great masters of Danish design. Particularly known for his chairs that, according to Wegner, are not just pieces of furniture but art made to support the human form. Wegner was born in Southern Denmark, son of a shoemaker and on track to follow in his fathers footstep. However, at the age of 14 Wegner entered into an apprenticeship with a local cabinet maker. It quickly became evident that he had an enormous talent designing chairs and working with wood. After the apprenticeship Wegner moved to Copenhagen and attended the School of Arts and Crafts from 1936 to 1938 before setting out as a furniture designer. When Wegner was 24 years old he was employed by Arne Jackobsen, Flemming Lassen and Erik Møller, three titans of the design world. Together they designed nearly all the furniture for Aarhus (the second largest city in Denmark) city hall. During the project, he met Inga Helbo, a secretary in Mr. Jacobsen's office. They later married. Throughout his career, Wegner had a fondness for integrating wood into his chairs, and he had a special talent for using the characteristics of the material to create surprising, sculptural lines. Wegner was one of the most creative, innovative, and prolific. Often refer to as the mast of chairs, he designed over 500 chairs out of which 100 was put into production and many have become design icons. He gained great recognition for his furniture and won several awards and prizes. Some of his chairs are on permanent display at MoMA in New York. In 1960 CBS brought the Wegner's Round Chair in during the first nationally televised presidential debate between John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon. The chair created so much interest that after the programme it was simply referred to as ‘The Chair' by commentators and critics alike. As Wegner got older, his health started declining and he withdrew from work. Wegner retired in 1993 and his daughter Marianne took over his studio.