Arnold Madsen Loveseats
A powerhouse duo in Danish furniture design throughout the mid-20th century, Henry Hans Schubell and Arnold Madsen collaborated as Madsen & Schubell with Dutch company Bovenkamp and Vik & Blindheim on a range of furnishings and created memorable lounge chairs, armchairs and other seating throughout the 1940s, 1950s and early 1960s — such as the wingback Pragh chair and the iconic Clam chair — that represent the finest of Scandinavian modern design.
In 1944, a skilled upholster by the name of Arnold Madsen requested assistance from a cabinetmaker to make a prototype lounge chair based on a plaster model he’d made. Accepting the challenge, Schubell impressed Madsen to the point that he suggested they enter into a partnership. The Clam chair was their first collaboration as Madsen & Schubell.
According to Aaron FitzGerald, of Dagmar gallery, Madsen’s Clam chair is “one of the most sought-after and simultaneously misattributed and copied chair designs of the twentieth century.” In the past, it was ascribed to the Norwegian retailer Martin Olsen and then the Danish architect Philip Arctander. It was only through some dogged research by a team of international design historians and collectors that it was finally correctly associated with Madsen.
In the backyard of a modest home in Copenhagen, Schubell built wooden frames which Madsen then upholstered. They sold their finished products to dealers under their joint name, earning enough money to move production to a factory outside the city. Some models, such as the Clam, were under license by Norwegian company Vik & Blindheim while others were manufactured by Bovenkamp in the Netherlands. The pair’s partnership ended in 1963 in order for the designers to establish separate companies. Madsen opened a new upholstery firm with his son, Ib Madsen, under the name Madsen og Schubell, and Schubell continued to build frames for Madsen as Schubell & Son. (At some point, Ib also traded under the name Ib Madsen and Acton Schubell.)
Vintage Madsen & Schubell chairs offer sturdy build quality and the kind of superior upholstery that is typical among mid-century Scandinavian furniture. Working with a range of woods including teak, rosewood and birch, Madsen & Schubell accented natural wood grains with soft lambswool and sheepskin for a variety of comfortable seating.
Find vintage Arnold Madsen Clam chairs, lounge chairs and other seating on 1stDibs.
Mid-20th Century Dutch Scandinavian Modern Arnold Madsen Loveseats
Fabric, Oak, Teak
20th Century European Arnold Madsen Loveseats
Bouclé, Oak, Teak
1950s Swedish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Arnold Madsen Loveseats
Wool, Cotton, Beech
1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Arnold Madsen Loveseats
Velvet, Beech
1950s Danish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Arnold Madsen Loveseats
Fabric, Beech, Teak
1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Arnold Madsen Loveseats
Metal
1950s Swedish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Arnold Madsen Loveseats
Bouclé, Elm
1950s Italian Vintage Arnold Madsen Loveseats
Mohair
1970s Danish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Arnold Madsen Loveseats
Upholstery, Teak
1950s Danish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Arnold Madsen Loveseats
Bouclé, Oak
1950s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Arnold Madsen Loveseats
Brass
1960s Dutch Mid-Century Modern Vintage Arnold Madsen Loveseats
Fabric, Oak, Teak
1940s Danish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Arnold Madsen Loveseats
Sheepskin, Wood
