Arne Jacobsen
1902 - 1971
Arne Jacobsen was born in Copenhagen in 1902, he was encouraged by his parents towards a practical education and he became a qualified bricklayer in 1924. He graduated as an architect in 1926. While still studying he entered a chair design in the 1925 Exposition Internationale des Arts Decoratifs et Industriels Modernes and was awarded a silver medal. In 1927 Jacobsen worked briefly for Poul Holsoe before starting his own firm in 1927. He had several significant commissions, including the Aarhus Town Hall (together with Erik Moeller), completed in 1941. In 1943 Jacobsen was forced to flee Denmark due to his Jewish ancestry and fled to Sweden. In Sweden he collaborated with his wife Jonna in designing fabrics and wallpaper. After the war he returned to Denmark and resumed his architectural career.
Among Arne Jacobsen's most significant projects was the SAS Royal Hotel, completed in 1960. He was known for his detailed and comprehensive designs, for the SAS Royal Hotel, he designed the furniture, fittings, the airport buses and even the ashtrays sold in the souvenir shop. His famous chair designs the "Swan" and "Egg", were originally designed for the SAS Royal Hotel.
He was commissioned to design St. Catherines College in Oxford, England, which he completed in 1962. Again his design was so comprehensive his designs included the cutlery, furniture, and lampshades. in 1993 the college buildings received a Grade I heritage listing. His chair designs from the 1950s, the "Ant" and the "Seven Series" have also become design classics.
Arne Jacobsen died unexpectedly in 1971.