Hans Wegner Pair of Iconic Signed Stamped Midcentury Original Round Chairs
View Similar Items
Hans Wegner Pair of Iconic Signed Stamped Midcentury Original Round Chairs
About the Item
- Creator:Hans J. Wegner (Designer)
- Design:
- Dimensions:Height: 30 in (76.2 cm)Width: 24.5 in (62.23 cm)Depth: 20 in (50.8 cm)Seat Height: 18 in (45.72 cm)
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1950s
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use. In very good to excellent vintage condition with light age appropriate wear consistent with age and use primarily to original leather seats (please see photos), These are truly stunning and beautifully crafted chairs.
- Seller Location:Studio City, CA
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU2254312831772
Round Chair
In September of 1960, when Richard Nixon and John F. Kennedy sat down for the first nationally televised presidential debate, the two candidates rested on one of the most celebrated designs of the 20th century. Often called simply “The Chair,” the Round chair is one of hundreds designed by Hans J. Wegner (1914–2007). As he once said, “The good chair is a task one is never completely done with.”
Nicknamed the “Master of the Chair,” influential Danish designer Wegner inventively used natural materials in his work and, in particular, experimented with different types of wood instead of the industrial materials favored by 20th-century European modernism.
In his highly functional pieces with their timeless silhouettes, Wegner celebrated the textures of oak, walnut, birch and others while concealing joints inside the various pieces for a seamless frame. Sometimes described as “Organic Functionality,” his approach exemplified the aesthetics of Scandinavian modern design in its reduction of an object to its essential elements while using that sparsity to elevate its materials.
The son of a cobbler, Wegner later apprenticed to a master cabinetmaker and studied at the Technical University of Denmark and the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts (then the Copenhagen School of Arts and Crafts). He opened his furniture design firm in 1943 and throughout his career centered his practice on craftsmanship and constantly reimagined the shape of the utilitarian chair.
He debuted the Round chair in 1949, first showing it at the Annual Exhibition of the Cabinetmakers’ Guild in Copenhagen. Wegner called it simply “the round one.” A semicircle of wood is balanced on its tapered legs, with either a handwoven cane or leather seat stretched between them. Its open back offers comfort for movement, an alternative to traditional straight-back chairs; its finely turned arms provide support without intruding on the sitter’s space. Incorporating 11 pieces of wood and zigzag joints to offer the appearance of a continuous semicircle of wood from the arms to the back, the Round chair’s form is minimal but showcases expert carpentry. In 1950, Interiors magazine declared it “the most beautiful chair in the world.”
Wegner took incredible care with his designs, believing that a good piece of furniture should last a lifetime. Originally manufactured by Danish furniture maker Johannes Hansen, the Round chair is now produced by Danish joinery workshop PP Møbler, which has sought to guard Wegner’s design through meticulous craftsmanship so it can continue to be enjoyed for generations.
Hans J. Wegner
Best known for his chairs and seating pieces — though a master of many furniture types like sofas and tables — Hans Wegner was a prolific designer whose elegant, often ebullient, forms and devotion to the finest methods in joinery made "Danish Modern" a popular byword for stylish, well-made furniture in the mid-20th century.
Wegner considered himself a carpenter first and a furniture designer second. Like his peers Arne Jacobsen and Finn Juhl, Wegner believed that striking aesthetics in furniture were based on a foundation of practicality: a chair must be comfortable and sturdy before it is chic.
In keeping with that tenet, several of Wegner’s best chair designs, seen in dealer listings below, have their roots in traditional seating forms. The Peacock chair (designed in 1947) is a throne-like adaptation of the Windsor chair; pieces from the China chair series (begun in 1944) as well as the 1949 Wishbone chair, with its distinctive Y-shaped back splat, are derived from 17th-century Ming seating pieces, as is the upholstered Ox chair (1960). Wegner’s comfy Papa Bear chair (1951) is an almost surreally re-scaled English wingback chair.
Wegner’s most representative piece, the Round chair (1949), gained a footnote in political history when it was used on the TV stage of the first Kennedy-Nixon debate of 1960. That chair, along with Wegner’s more bravura designs, for example the 1963 Shell chair, with its curved surfboard-shaped seat, bring a quietly sculptural presence to a room. Wegner was a designer who revered his primary material — wood — and it shows. His wood gathers patina and character with age; every Hans Wegner piece testifies to the life it has led.
- Hans Wegner Original Danish JH-501 Chairs by Johannes Hansen for Knoll, Set of 4By Hans J. WegnerLocated in Studio City, CAIconic in design and aesthetic. Designed in 1949 by famed Danish designer Hans Wegner and known universally as "The Chair", the JH501 chair is perhaps the mo...Category
Vintage 1960s Danish Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsCane, Teak
- Hans Wegner "the Chair" Early Version Teak and Cane Jh-501 Chair Johannes HansenBy Hans J. WegnerLocated in Studio City, CAIconic in design and aesthetic. Designed in 1949 by famed Danish designer Hans Wegner and known universally as "The Chair", the JH501 chair is perhaps the mo...Category
Vintage 1950s Danish Mid-Century Modern Chairs
MaterialsCane, Teak
- Hans Wegner Midcentury Original Classic JH-512 Folding Lounge Chair, 1950sBy Hans J. WegnerLocated in Studio City, CAIconic in design and aesthetic. This exquisite folding chair was designed by famed Danish designer Hans Wegner and is in its original finish and cane seat and back. The chair has the...Category
Mid-20th Century Danish Mid-Century Modern Chairs
MaterialsCane, Oak
- Hans Wegner Set of Four Mid-Century Modern Classic CH23 Dining ChairsBy Hans J. WegnerLocated in Studio City, CAIconic in design and aesthetic. First introduced in 1950 by famed Danish designer Hans Wegner, these CH23 chairs features refined styling and masterful craftsmanship and are immediately recognizable with their curved seat backs and "+" shaped oak inlays. In good vintage condition with the original paper cord (two chairs need some light seat restoration and cleaning. Please see photos). All chairs...Category
Vintage 1950s Danish Mid-Century Modern Chairs
MaterialsOak, Teak, Papercord
- Hans Burkhardt Signed Swiss California Original Midcentury Abstract PaintingBy Hans BurkhardtLocated in Studio City, CAA wonderful, highly engaging large original abstract female nude pastel painting/drawing by Swiss/ American/ Californian painter-artist Hans Burkhardt. This work, titled "Seated Female" is hand-signed and dated (1958) by the artist. An original, one-of-a-kind, and unusually large work by Burkhardt. Would be the crown jewel to any collection of his work or a stunning stand-alone art accent piece in about any setting. His earlier abstract female forms are becoming rare and harder to find. Hans Burkhardt was born in 1904 in Basel, Switzerland. At the age of 20, he immigrated to New York to work with his father. From 1925 to 1928 he attended the Cooper Union School of the Arts, where he befriended mentor Arshile Gorky and Willem de Kooning—sharing Gorky's studio from 1928 to 1937. In 1937 he moved to Los Angeles, California. Burkhardt held his first solo exhibition in 1939 at Stendahl Gallery in Los Angeles. In 1945 he had a highly acclaimed solo exhibition at the Los Angeles County Museum. Burkhardt spent most of the 1950s working in Mexico. Art critics of the time considered him a "great Mexican master” alongside Orozco, Rivera, and Siqueiros, and Rufino Tamayo admired his work. He returned to Los Angeles in the 1960s to create some of the most powerful examples of Abstract Expressionism of the time. During this time he also became well known for his richly drawn pastel abstractions of the human figure of which this original work certainly qualifies. He died in Los Angeles in 1994. Burkhardt's solo shows include: 1939: Stendahl Gallery, Los Angeles, March 27 – April 17 1945: Hans Burkhardt, Los Angeles County Museum of Art 1951: Museo de Bellas Artes, Guadalajara, Mexico: Exhibicion de Pinturas Modernas; Comara Gallery, Los Angeles 1953: Fisher Gallery, University of Southern California, Los Angeles 1957: Pasadena Art Museum, California: Ten Year Retrospective, June 14 – July 14; 1961-62: Thirty Year Retrospective (traveled to Santa Barbara Museum of Art, April 11 – May 7, 1961, Los Angeles Municipal Art Gallery, January 9 – February 4, 1962, Legion of Honor (museum), San Francisco, June 10 – July 9, 1962) 1968: San Diego Museum of Art: Vietnam Paintings...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Paintings
MaterialsPaint, Paper
- Hans Burkhardt Signed Swiss California Original Midcentury Nude Figures PaintingBy Hans BurkhardtLocated in Studio City, CAA wonderful, highly engaging large original abstract pastel painting / drawing of three nude female figures by Swiss / American / Californian painter-artist Hans Burkhardt. This work is hand pencil signed and dated (1967) by the artist. An original, one-of-a-kind relatively large work by Burkhardt. Would be a great addition to any collection of his work or a stunning stand-alone art accent piece in about any setting. His original female/ women nude works are becoming rare and harder to find. Hans Burkhardt was born in 1904 in Basel, Switzerland. At the age of 20, he immigrated to New York to work with his father. From 1925 to 1928 he attended the Cooper Union School of the Arts, where he befriended mentor Arshile Gorky and Willem de Kooning—sharing Gorky's studio from 1928 to 1937. In 1937 he moved to Los Angeles, California. Burkhardt held his first solo exhibition in 1939 at Stendahl Gallery in Los Angeles. In 1945 he had a highly acclaimed solo exhibition at the Los Angeles County Museum. Burkhardt spent most of the 1950s working in Mexico. Art critics of the time considered him a "great Mexican master” alongside Orozco, Rivera, and Siqueiros, and Rufino Tamayo admired his work. He returned to Los Angeles in the 1960s to create some of the most powerful examples of Abstract Expressionism of the time. During this time he also became well known for his richly drawn pastel abstractions of the human figure of which this original work certainly qualifies. He died in Los Angeles in 1994. Burkhardt's solo shows include: 1939: Stendahl Gallery, Los Angeles, March 27 – April 17 1945: Hans Burkhardt, Los Angeles County Museum of Art 1951: Museo de Bellas Artes, Guadalajara, Mexico: Exhibicion de Pinturas Modernas; Comara Gallery, Los Angeles 1953: Fisher Gallery, University of Southern California, Los Angeles 1957: Pasadena Art Museum, California: Ten Year Retrospective, June 14 – July 14; 1961-62: Thirty Year Retrospective (traveled to Santa Barbara Museum of Art, April 11 – May 7, 1961, Los Angeles Municipal Art Gallery, January 9 – February 4, 1962, Legion of Honor (museum), San Francisco, June 10 – July 9, 1962) 1968: San Diego Museum of Art: Vietnam Paintings...Category
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Paintings
MaterialsPaper
- Pair of Hans Wegner Round ChairsBy Johannes HansenLocated in Brooklyn, NYKnown simply as "The Chair," this iconic armchair was designed by famed Danish architect and furniture designer Hans Wegner in 1949. The patinated Danish oak frames have been careful...Category
Vintage 1950s Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsVelvet, Oak
$9,600 / set - Pair of Hans Wegner Round ChairsBy Johannes HansenLocated in Brooklyn, NYKnown simply as "The Chair," this iconic armchair was designed by famed Danish architect and furniture designer Hans Wegner in 1949. The patinated Danish oak frames have been careful...Category
Vintage 1950s Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsOak, Velvet
$12,000 / set - Hans Wegner White Round ChairsBy Hans J. Wegner, PP MøblerLocated in Epperstone, NottinghamshireAmazing pair of Hans Wegner Round Chairs PP 501 in ‘Special Request’ white pigment lacquer finish. These chairs were ordered from PP Mobler in 2015 with ...Category
Mid-20th Century Danish Scandinavian Modern Chairs
MaterialsCane
$12,880 / set - Rare Pair of Red Hans Wegner Arm Chairs for Hansen and Son. Original. Signed.By Hans J. WegnerLocated in Kansas City, MOVery rare and desirable pair of red side chairs designed by Hans Wegner for Hansen and Son, Denmark, 1950s. These are in very good completely origin...Category
Vintage 1950s Danish Scandinavian Modern Armchairs
MaterialsWood
- Pair of Hans Wegner Round ChairsBy Hans J. Wegner, Johannes HansenLocated in Dallas, TXThe most recognized of Hans Wegner’s chairs, the round back or “The Chair” was designed in 1948. Exquisitely constructed by cabinetmaker Johannes Hansen. This chair was made famous i...Category
Mid-20th Century Danish Mid-Century Modern Chairs
MaterialsOak, Upholstery
$7,500 / set - Pair of Hans Wegner Round ChairsBy Hans J. Wegner, Johannes HansenLocated in Dallas, TXBeautiful pair of round chairs by Hans Wegner. Cane seats. One seat was replaced. Both show very well.Category
Mid-20th Century Danish Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsCane, Teak
$9,800 / set