Borge Mogensen Biography
The famous Danish designer Borge Mogensen, born in 1914, began his studies by first attending the school of Arts and Crafts in Copenhagen, where he obtained a cabinetmaker's diploma in 1934, and then graduated in architecture in 1944. He was a researcher and finally first assistant of Kaare Klint at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts, remaining by his side for a long time. He developed his ideal typologies by studying the popular Anglo-Saxon tradition and the purity and austerity of typical North American Shaker-style furniture. Deeply influenced by his studies, he reinterpreted highly successful historical forms through an extremely modern language. In 1944 he designed the famous J39 chair which in its simple beech structure with twisted paper rope seat embodied all the principles of proportion, construction and function in which he believed. This chair also incorporated standardized components and was one of the first pieces of furniture created by Danish design to move towards industrial mass production. Mogensen in fact believed in a social design, at the service of the public, a rational and refined design based above all on the study of anthropometry; his contribution evolved the ideal of a social production aimed at raising the average architectural standard. The famous “Spokeback Sofa” is also from the same period (1945), a classic found in almost every Danish home. In 1950 Mogensen opened his own studio and continued his research, always designing furniture of the highest quality, as well as storage systems and furnishing fabrics. Mention should be made of the "Spanish Chair" from 1958, considered one of the greatest expressions of his work, or the "Wing Chair", an upholstered armchair designed for his home in 1963. His career as a designer was characterized by the great partnership with Andreas Graversen the which, through Fredericia Furniture, has produced and still produces most of its splendid creations. Borge Mogensen was among the first Danish architects to design furniture for a young audience, a completely innovative choice at the time, thus demonstrating that he was in all respects a pioneer of contemporary design. Above all, he was able to merge his ethics as a designer with a remarkable mastery in the use of materials. Borge Mogensen passed away prematurely at the age of 58 in 1972.
