A. J. Iversen

Last updated

Andreas Jeppe Iversen, usually known as A.J. Iversen (13 December 1888 - 17 December 1979), was a Danish cabinetmaker and furniture designer. From the 1920s, his collaboration with architects and designers paved the way for the style which later became known as Danish modern.

Contents

Early life

Born in Sønder Bjert near Kolding in the south of Jutland, Iversen first worked as a fisherman like his father. In 1906, he became an apprentice in A. L. Johansen & Søn's furniture factory in Kolding. He then worked in various workshops both in Copenhagen and abroad, examining with interest the furniture he discovered in museums and castles. As a result of his evening classes with Frederik Poulsen and Rasmus Berg, he qualified as a cabinetmaker in 1916. [1]

Career

Although Iversen designed furniture himself, he soon began to collaborate with artists. At the Paris World Exhibition in 1925, he exhibited furniture designed by the architect Kaj Gottlob, earning himself an honorary award. From 1927, Iversen was a regular exhibitor at the Cabinetmakers Guild's annual furniture exhibitions in Copenhagen, for which he held the chairmanship from 1930 to 1934. Above all, he exhibited furniture designed by Ole Wanscher with whom he had a fruitful relationship for the rest of his life. He also made furniture for Viggo Boesen, Flemming and Mogens Lassen and for the Swedish designer, Torsten Johansson. [1]

Iversen's simplified designs built on historical models while maintaining sensitivity and refinement. Always intent on pursuing the high quality norms of Danish cabinetmaking, he took advantage of the latest developments in production technology. One of the few Danish modern cabinetmakers who both designed and manufactured his own furniture, he is remembered above all for realizing many of Ole Wanscher's finest pieces including his Ming Round Occasional Table. Other items of note include his T-Chair and Egyptian Stool. [2] Commenting on the difficulty of entering the exhibition environment in the early days, Iversen explains: "The older cabinetmakers maintained a strong hand on existing practice. They looked on Functionalism's simple lines like the plague. These old masters had position and experience, you owed them your respect, their opinions held weight and most of our colleagues tended to be their faithful followers. On the other hand, we had the support of young designers and most of the critics." [3] [4]

Assessment

Iversen was an exceptionally fine cabinetmaker, devoted to his profession. He was alderman of the Copenhagen Cabinetmakers Guild from 1951 to 1961. In 1950, his son Gunnar Iversen became co-owner of his furniture factory. [1] For his achievements, he was awarded both the Danish Order of the Dannebrog and the Swedish Order of Vasa. [5]

See also

Related Research Articles

Poul Kjærholm (1929–1980) was a Danish designer. Born in Østervrå, Denmark, Kjærholm began his career as a cabinetmaker's apprentice with Gronbech in 1948, attending the Danish School of Arts and Crafts in Copenhagen in 1952. In 1953, he married Hanne Kjærholm who became a successful architect. While working as a designer, he also became an educator continuing studies with Prof. Erik Herløw and Prof. Palle Suenson.

Hans Jørgensen Wegner was a Danish furniture designer. His work, along with a concerted effort from several of his manufacturers, contributed to the international popularity of mid-century Danish design. His style is often described as Organic Functionality, a modernist school with emphasis on functionality. This school of thought arose primarily in Scandinavian countries with contributions by Poul Henningsen, Alvar Aalto, and Arne Jacobsen.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kristian Solmer Vedel</span> Danish industrial designer

Kristian Solmer Vedel was a Danish industrial designer and part of the Scandinavian Design movement.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Finn Juhl</span> Danish architect and designer accredited with introduction of Danish modern to America (1912–1989)

Finn Juhl was a Danish architect, interior and industrial designer, most known for his furniture design. He was one of the leading figures in the creation of Danish design in the 1940s and he was the designer who introduced Danish modern to America.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Danish design</span>

Danish design is a style of functionalistic design and architecture that was developed in mid-20th century. Influenced by the German Bauhaus school, many Danish designers used the new industrial technologies, combined with ideas of simplicity and functionalism to design buildings, furniture and household objects, many of which have become iconic and are still in use and production. Prominent examples are the Egg chair, the PH lamps and the Sydney Opera House (Australia).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Danish modern</span> Style of furniture

Danish modern is a style of minimalist furniture and housewares from Denmark associated with the Danish design movement. In the 1920s, Kaare Klint embraced the principles of Bauhaus modernism in furniture design, creating clean, pure lines based on an understanding of classical furniture craftsmanship coupled with careful research into materials, proportions, and the requirements of the human body.

Ole Wanscher was a Danish furniture designer. He was one of the leading figures in the Scandinavian Design movement, at a time when Scandinavian Design achieved worldwide popularity.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gustav Weinreich</span>

Gustav Alfred Emil Weinreich (1886–1980) was a Danish woodcarver and furniture maker in Copenhagen, and a leader in the craftsmans' guilds of his day.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mogens Lassen</span>

Mogens Lassen was a Modernist Danish architect and designer, working within the idiom of the International Style. He mainly designed residential buildings, both in the form of single-family houses and apartment blocks. He was the brother of Flemming Lassen, also an architect.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Børge Mogensen</span> Danish furniture designer (1914–1972)

Børge Mogensen, was a Danish furniture designer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kaj Gottlob</span> Danish architect

Niels August Theodor Kaj Gottlob, usually known as Kaj Gottlob, was a Danish architect who contributed much to Neoclassicism and Functionalism both as professor of the School of Architects at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts and as a royal building inspector.

Jørgen Gammelgaard (1938–1991) was a Danish furniture designer who also designed lamps and silverware.

Edvard Kindt-Larsen (1901–1982) was a Danish architect and furniture designer who worked closely together with his wife Tove Kindt-Larsen (1906–1994). From the 1930s to the 1960s, the couple were among Denmark's predominant designers, active the areas of architecture, furniture design, silverware and textiles.

Ejner Larsen (1917–1987) was a Danish furniture designer who worked closely together with Aksel Bender Madsen.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aksel Bender Madsen</span> Danish furniture designer

Aksel Bender Madsen was a Danish furniture designer who worked closely together with Ejner Larsen (1917-1987) producing a wide variety of items during the Danish modern period.

Jacob Kjær (1896–1957) was a Danish furniture designer and cabinetmaker.

Frits Henningsen (1889–1965) was a Danish furniture designer and cabinet maker who achieved high standards of quality with exclusively handmade pieces.

Rigmor Andersen was a versatile Danish designer, educator and author. Above all she is remembered for maintaining the traditions of Kaare Klint's furniture school at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts.

Carl Hansen & Søn is a family-owned Danish furniture company based on the island of Funen. Carl Hansen & Søn is the company behind many classical furniture designs by leading figures of the Danish modern movement but the company is also collaborating with contemporary designers. Knud Erik Hansen, its current owner and CEO, is the grandson of the founder.

Copenhagen Cabinetmakers' Guild Exhibition was an annual furniture exhibition and competition held from 1927 to 1966 that served as an well-known institution of Danish Design and a vehicle for the emergence of the Danish Modern art movement. Many recognizable icons of Danish Modern were first unveiled as prototypes at the exhibition, including Hans Wegner's Round Chair, Aksel Bender Madsen and Ejnar Larsen's Metropolitan chair, Børge Mogensen's Spokeback Chair, and Finn Juhl’s Chieftain Chair.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "A.J. Iversen", Den Store Danske. (in Danish) Retrieved 31 October 2011.
  2. ↑ Andrew Hollingsworth, Danish Modern, Gibbs Smith, p. 123.
  3. ↑ Hollingsworth, p. 1
  4. ↑ Carl Erik Andresen, Dansk møbelindustri 1870-1950, 1996, Århus: Systime, p. 84.
  5. ↑ A J "Iversen A J", Kraks Blå Bog 1974. (in Danish) Retrieved 31 October 2011.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.