Where to See Arne Jacobsen

Arne Jacobsen's work can be viewed in museums around the world. In Denmark, his designs are held by the Aarhus Kunstmuseum; Fyns Stifts Kunstmuseum (Fyn County Museum of Fine Arts), in Odense; and the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, in Humlebaek. Other European museums with his works include the Arkiv for Dekorativ Konst, Lund, Sweden; Nasjonalgalleriet, Oslo; Nationalmuseum, Stockholm; Graphische Sammlung Albertina, Vienna; Kunstmuseum Bern; Kunstmuseum Luzern; Museum am Ostwall, Dortmund; and the Henie-Onstad Art Center, Hovikodden, Norway. In Germany, Jacobsen's pieces can be seen at the Bauhaus Archive Design Museum, Berlin; the Bröhan-Museum (State Museum for Art Nouveau, Art Deco, and Functionalism), Berlin; the Kunstgewerbe Museum of Decorative Arts, Berlin; the Museum beim Markt (Badisches Landesmuseum), Karlsruhe; and the Museum für Kunst und Gewerbe, Hamburg. In the United States, notable collections are held by the Art Institute of Chicago; the Busch-Reisinger Museum, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts; the Cincinnati Art Museum; the Cleveland Museum of Art; the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York; the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; the Museum of Modern Art, New York; the Museum of Art, Carnegie Institute, Pittsburgh; the Charles Hosmer Morse Museum of American Art, Winter Park, Florida; and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA).

Arne Jacobsen (1902^[1]-1971^[1]) was a Danish^[1] architect and designer. Although best known for his furniture, he also produced drawings and botanical watercolours. Jacobsen studied at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts, graduating in 1927^[1]. His early architectural work included the Bellavista housing estate (1934) north of Copenhagen, and Århus City Hall (1937-1941^[1]), designed with Erik Møller. After World War II, he designed a range of buildings, from the SAS Royal Hotel (1960) in Copenhagen to the National Bank of Denmark (1971). His furniture designs include the Ant Chair (1955), the Egg Chair (1958), and the Swan Chair (1958), all of which remain popular. These pieces often feature organic shapes and a minimalist aesthetic. Less well known are Jacobsen's prints. These consist mainly of detailed botanical studies. These watercolours display his draughtsmanship and eye for detail. They are often printed as giclée reproductions. Jacobsen's botanical art shares some aesthetic qualities with his furniture: a clarity of line and form, combined with an appreciation for natural shapes.

Arne Jacobsen (1902^[1]-1971^[1]) was a Danish^[1] architect and designer. He is remembered for his contribution to architectural modernism, and for designs that combined functionalism with a concern for aesthetics. Jacobsen's architecture demonstrates a sensitivity to context. His best-known building is probably the SAS Royal Hotel (1960^[1]) in Copenhagen; he designed not only the structure but also the interior fittings, furniture, lighting, and even cutlery. This holistic approach is a hallmark. His furniture designs, such as the Egg and Swan chairs, are still in production. Their organic shapes contrast with the rectilinear forms of much modernist design. They also demonstrate Jacobsen's interest in new materials and industrial production techniques. These chairs, along with his Series 7 chair, remain popular items. Jacobsen's designs are significant because they represent a Scandinavian interpretation of modernism. They combine functionality with a sense of humanism. This approach continues to influence designers today.

Arne Jacobsen's artistic techniques encompassed a range of approaches, from graphic caricature to exploration of materials. In the late 1930s, Jacobsen employed a graphic line to create caricature images, which some critics found satirical. He also experimented with motifs and compositions inspired by artists such as Kandinsky and De Stijl. These sketches, created with a ruler and compass in India ink, explored planes, basic forms, and the tensions between straight and curved lines. Jacobsen also adopted techniques such as collage, frottage, and colour spraying. He used collage for illustrations in Jens August Schade's book *The Stolen Chest of Drawers*. In his drawings, Jacobsen dissolved shapes using an overlay technique, rather than evoking clashes between them. Later, Jacobsen moved from oil paint to acrylic paints, which promote flatness and colour contrast.

Arne Jacobsen's influence is complex. In the 1930s, Jacobsen was part of a young Danish^[1] art scene that looked to Paris and the Bauhaus movement. They found inspiration in artists such as Kandinsky, Klee, Mondrian, and the Russian avant-garde. This group, known as Linien (The Line), played a role in the Danish resistance during the war. After 1945^[1], they renewed international contacts. Robert Jacobsen and Richard Mortensen, two important members, moved to Paris. Parallel to this abstract movement was the COBRA group, led by Asger Jorn. The avant-garde activities of the 1960s and 1970s, including Fluxus, also left traces. Contacts with German art, particularly with Beuys, influenced young Danish artists such as Bjørn Nørgaard and Per Kirkeby. However, some argue that the success of the abstract movement and COBRA has overshadowed later developments in Danish art.

Arne Jacobsen's artistic development occurred in a milieu influenced by several modern movements. In the 1930s, young Danish^[1] artists mounted exhibitions in Copenhagen that presented modern European art to a Danish audience. These included works by Kandinsky, Mondrian, Klee, Arp, Dali, Tanguy, Ernst and Miro. The exhibitions merged Cubism and Surrealism, treating them as parallel movements. The younger generation in Denmark saw no need to choose between the schools of the 1920s. Kandinsky's abstract works, Tanguy's unreal beaches, Giacometti's figures and Miro's signs were all equally appealing. The group Linien, which included Richard Mortensen, Ejler Bille, Carl-Henning Pedersen, Egill Jacobsen and Sonja Ferlov Mancoba, also included the young Asger Jorn. Jorn, who would later be a prime mover in the COBRA group, was influenced by Leger and Le Corbusier.

Arne Jacobsen (1902^[1]-1971^[1]) was a Danish^[1] architect and designer. He is celebrated for his contribution to architectural functionalism and for simple, but effective, chair designs. While he designed many notable buildings, such as St Catherine's College, Oxford (1962^[1]-1964^[1]), he is perhaps best known for his chairs. These include the Ant Chair (1955), the Series 7 Chair (1955), the Egg Chair (1958), and the Swan Chair (1958). Jacobsen originally designed the Egg and Swan chairs for the SAS Royal Hotel in Copenhagen. Both are characterised by their organic shapes and use of synthetic materials. The Series 7 chair, also known as the 3107, is a plywood chair. It is an updated version of the Ant chair, and is arguably Jacobsen's most commercially successful design. Its mass-produced form made it accessible and popular.

Arne Jacobsen was a proponent of modernism, specifically within architecture and industrial design. In the 1930s, Scandinavian countries saw the introduction of "functionalist" architecture. Jacobsen's work aligned with this movement, which emphasised clean lines and functionality. After World War II, a renewed interest in international contacts influenced artists like Jacobsen. His designs often merged functionalist tenets with biomorphic forms, seen in the work of sculptors such as Jean Arp and Henry Moore. This sculptural influence was particularly evident in furniture design, with curved wooden and glass forms. While Jacobsen was part of the broader modernist movement, his designs also reflected a Scandinavian sensibility, which valued simplicity, natural materials, and a close relationship with the environment.