Ole Wanscher

Ole Wanscher (1903-1985) was one of the key figures in the history of Danish design. Son of an art historian and himself the author of appreciated texts on the history of furniture, Wanscher directed his attention above all to the past and to the types of furniture of the past. It was a design attitude taken up by his master Kaare Klint, who guided the studies at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts and who accompanied him in the first planning stages, making him work for a few years in his studio. Unlike Klint, Ole Wanscher (who would later inherit his mentor's chair at the Royal Academy, from 1955 to 1973) however was not interested in using period forms as a starting point for a personal expressive research that looked at modern criteria of standardization: Wanscher's poetics rather envisaged a revival of period models – above all dating back to XIII century England and Ancient Egypt, periods from which he drew the greatest inspiration – both in appearance and in techniques, trying however to perfect them to maximize comfort and aesthetic performance. His creations thus became refined cabinet-making exercises made of precious materials and intended above all for an elite clientele; the most iconic of them are now reproduced by the Carl Hansen & Søn brand.