Hans Wegner. 100 years, 100 chairs

On April 2, 1914, in Tønder, Denmark, one of the great masters of modern furniture was born: Hans J. Wegner. From an early age he showed remarkable skill in craftsmanship; at 17, he completed his apprenticeship as a cabinetmaker with I.C. Stahlberg, and later studied at the Copenhagen School of Arts and Crafts. His professional career took off in 1940, when, as a young architect, he collaborated with Arne Jacobsen and Erik Møller on the furniture design for the new Aarhus Town Hall. That same year, he also began working closely with cabinetmaker Johannes Hansen, a key figure in shaping his career.

In 1942, the Copenhagen Museum of Art and Industry acquired Wegner’s first chair, and in 1943 he opened his own design studio. From then on, he became one of Denmark’s most prolific and creative designers, developing a wide repertoire of chairs, tables, stools, and benches. Yet it was his chairs that truly defined his legacy, thanks to his mastery of wood, the precision of his joinery, and the timeless elegance of his finishes.

His most famous model, the pp503 Round Chair, known simply as “The Chair”, gained worldwide fame in 1960 when it was chosen as the seat for John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon during their historic televised presidential debates.

Other iconic designs include the Peacock Chair, the OX Chair, and the legendary Shell Chair (CH07), created in 1963. Initially met with skepticism for its curved, futuristic form, the Shell Chair later became a celebrated symbol of modern design and comfort, and today it stands as one of Wegner’s most admired pieces.

Hans J. Wegner’s legacy is a testament to how craftsmanship, functionality, and aesthetics can merge into objects that transcend time, securing his place as one of the pillars of Danish design and 20th-century modernism.

Hans Wegner. 100 years, 100 chairs

In 2014, on the centenary of his birth, we developed a project and exhibition of chairs inspired by Wegner’s iconic models. The exhibition, titled “100 Years, 100 Chairs”, reinterpreted ten of his most significant designs. This project was supported by the Cultural Office of the Danish Embassy in Madrid and carried out by 3rd-year Industrial Design students from IED Madrid, under the supervision of Pedro Feduchi and the collective Mecedorama. Directed by Iván Vidal, the project was presented in an exhibition designed and curated by him together with the Design team.

Hans Wegner. 100 years, 100 chairs was a Design exhibition hosted at Altamira Palace in Madrid, Spain ande celebrated in 2014 In commemoration of the 100th anniversary of Danish designer Hans Wegner where several of his most famous chairs were reinterpreted and manufactured by IED Madrid`s industrial design 3rd year students. This project was carried out in collaboration with the Cultural Attaché of the Embassy of Denmark in Spain