Hans J. Wegner
Among the most prolific and long-lived Danish designers, Hans J Wegner (Tønder, 1914 – Copenaghen, 2007) is renowned for its iconic chairs: among the most famous are the Wishbone, which with its characteristic Y-back has been produced without interruption since 1950 and recognized as the ideal chair, the China Chair (1944), inspired by the Chinese Ming chairs, and the Round Chair (1949), which in 1961 was used in the head-to-head between John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon. During his career, Wegner's obsession was to create the perfect chair, which is why he designed around 500 different models. The son of a shoemaker, at the age of 14 he began his apprenticeship in the workshop of cabinetmaker H.F. Stahlberg, before enrolling in the Copenhagen School of Arts and Crafts. Contacted in 1938 by architect and designer Arne Jacobsen, Wegner began designing furniture for large projects, establishing a parallel collaboration with Danish master cabinetmaker Johannes Hansen, thus refining the organic and essential lines that would distinguish the style of his entire future production.