Finn Juhl

Private collection

Bruun Rasmussen, København, 30 September 2021, Lot 891

Acquired from the above by the present owner

Private collection, London

Esbjørn Hiort, Modern Danish Furniture, New York, 1956, p. 20, 54-55

Grete Jalk, Dansk Møbelkunst gennem 40 aar, vol. 3, Copenhagen, 1987, p. 124-125, 232-233, 310-311

Esbjørn Hiort, Finn Juhl: Furniture, Architecture, Applied Art, Copenhagen, 1990, p. 23, 40-41

Martin Eidelberg, Design 1935-1965: What Modern Was, New York, 1991, p. 186-187

Noritsugu Oda, Danish Chairs, San Francisco, 1996, p. 92-93

Per Hansen, Finn Juhl and his House, Copenhagen, 2014, p. 36-37, 39, 42-43, 73, 78-79, 155, 164

The Chieftain armchair is one of the most emblematic creations by Finn Juhl, now considered the leading exponent of the golden age of Danish design. It was presented at the 1949 exhibition of the Cabinetmakers' Guild in Copenhagen. Its title is a tribute to King Frederick IX of Denmark (1899 - 1972), who is said to have sat in it at the exhibition. The Chieftain stands out from traditional Danish design with its organic, flowing forms. Its bold, innovative design combines aesthetics and comfort, transforming the armchair into a veritable sculpture. By breaking with a strictly functionalist approach, Finn Juhl's armchair marks a turning point in the history of Danish design.

A same model is in the Musée des Arts Décoratifs collection (inv. 995.109.1), Paris and the Vitra Design Museum collection (inv. MSK-1256), Weil am Rhein.