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FORUM FIRMENJUBILÄUM • COMPANY ANNIVERSARY

F or a new start, not a lot is sometimes needed – in the case of Fritz Hansen, a trade
licence and the love of craftsmanship! With a completed a carpentry apprentice-
ship, in 1872 he sets out for Copenhagen from the small town of Nakskov in the south
of Denmark – and lays the foundation stone for the Fritz Hansen Group globally ope-
rating today. With his Fritz Hansen & Co furniture manufacture, Hansen quickly makes
a name for himself in the Scandinavian capital. What nobody knows yet at the time:
The chair he specifically designs for his office will become pioneering: Hansen desi-
gned the backrest of laminated wood. A production method that the company refines
through the years and that is used again for numerous later design icons. In 1899 and
at the age of 25, Fritz Hansen’s son Christian E. Hansen joins the flourishing furniture
manufacture as a director. Besides an apprenticeship as a carpenter, he is also a trai-
ned architect. Hansen junior implements an idea which is to lastingly characterize the
company: In cooperation with leading architects, he designs furniture for actual buil-
ding projects. This decision is to enhance the reputation of the company.

A brilliant idea: cooperation with architects
DAN von • by Søren Christian Hansen (1932) Klampenborg von • by Arne Jacobsen (1943)
The praxis of cooperating with architects and designers has been successfully conti-
nued until today. From the first cooperation in 1905 with the architect Martin Nyrop,
chairs for the Copenhagen townhall result. Then followed, among others, furniture for
the Danish parliament and the supreme court at Christiansborg Castle as well as the
court building in Frederikesberg. Christian E. Hansen’s visionary approach leads to
changes in the production. He follows the industrial potential of the craftsmanship he-
ritage of his father and starts to experiment with steam-bending beech wood. The com-
pany achieves such a high quality that Thonet gives it the exclusive rights of producing
their designs for the Scandinavian market. But in-house designs such as the DAN chair
also originate, created by Søren Christian Hansen. Although inspired by Thonet, the
chair has a clear, more functional appearance. In 1932, Søren and his brother Poul Fritz
join the company as co-directors. Whereas Søren designs new products and becomes
the face of the company, Poul directs the production. The two brothers have a predi-
lection for the functionalism inspired by the Bauhaus. Driven by this industrial aesthe-
tics, they focus on the processing of steel for furniture designs. Soon, they are coope-
rating with the Lassen brothers and Frits Schlegel. Their designs combine steel with fa-
brics or wood and are very popular among Danish customers. Just two years after the
two Hansen sons joined the company, it works for the first time with Arne Jacobsen on
a chair for the restaurant of the Bellevue Theatret in Klampenborg. It is the beginning
of a successful partnership of many years between Fritz Hansen and the architect.
Collaborations, craftsmanship and innovation

Der Stuhl AX (1950) ist zerlegbar und exportgeeignet. • AX chair can be dismantled and is suitable for exporting. In the post-war period, a high demand for Danish furniture develops outside the coun-
try as well. The lovingly designed craftsmanship enjoys great popularity after the hor-
rors of the war. The entrepreneur Fritz Hansen plays a decisive role in this develop-
Der Tisch Egg wird zum Jubiläum erstmals produziert. • The Egg Table is first produced for the anniversary. ment. Together with the creative minds of the time such as Hans J. Wegner, Børge Mo-
gensen or Poul Kjærholm, he produces durable design that has retained its relevance
until today. The British aircraft construction establishes a laminated-wood technology
which Fritz Hansen identifies as an enormous potential. Initially, the technology is used
for manufacturing the AX chair designed by the architects Hvidt & Mølgaard. A key mo-
ment which paves the way for Arne Jacobsen’s iconic designs from the 1950s such as
the Ant chair. The success story of the cooperation with the Danish designer becomes
manifest in the SAS Royal Hotel, a “total art work” by Jacobsen. He designs everything
– from the entrance door to the lighting to the furniture. Among them also the design
classics Egg, Swan and Drop. With Jacobsen, an additional talent joins the Hansen fa-
mily: Verner Panton assists him and participates in the Ant chair. His own designs are
futurist, colourful and sculptural and become popular in the 1970s. The way there is
marked by setbacks but Fritz Hansen sticks to the young talent – with success, as we
know today! The Fritz Hansen company is soon to celebrate its 100th anniversary when
Peter Lassen is made director in 1969 after 15 years of working for it. Shortly afterwards,
the Skandinavisk Holding becomes the new owner to continue the history rich in tra-
dition with new capital and initiatives. Today, Fritz Hansen products are sold in more
than 85 countries in over 2,000 stores. The quality concept, the craftsmanship and the
everyday aesthetics continue to be components of the company philosophy of the glo-
bally operating group with the Swiss Josef Kaiser as CEO.