Along with Hans Wegner, Arne Jacobsen and Børge Mogensen, Finn Juhl was one of the great masters of mid-20th-century Danish design. Juhl was the first among that group to have his work promoted overseas, bringing the character of the nation’s furnishings — and the inherent principles of grace, craftsmanship and utility on which they were based — to an international audience.
A stylistic maverick, Juhl embraced expressive, free-flowing shapes in chair, credenzas and sofa designs much earlier than his colleagues, yet even his quietest pieces incorporate supple, curving forms that are at once elegant and ergonomic.
As a young man, Juhl hoped to become an art historian, but his father steered him into a more practical course of study in architecture. He began designing furniture in the late 1930s, a discipline in which, despite his education, Juhl was self-taught, and quite proud of the fact.
Juhl’s earliest works, designed in the late 1930s, are perhaps his most idiosyncratic. The influence of modern art is clear in his 1939 Pelican chair: an almost Surrealist take on the classic wing chair. Critics reviled the piece, however; one said it looked like a "tired walrus." Juhl had tempered his creativity by 1945, when the workshop of Danish cabinetmaker Niels Vodder began to issue his designs. Yet Juhl’s now-classic NV 45 armchair still demonstrates panache, with a seat that floats above the chair’s teak frame.
Juhl first exhibited his work in the United States in 1950, championed by Edgar Kaufmann Jr., an influential design critic and scion of America’s most prominent family of modern architecture and design patrons. (Kaufmann’s father commissioned Frank Lloyd Wright’s design of the house “Fallingwater.”)
Juhl quickly won a following for such signature designs as the supremely comfortable Chieftan lounge chair, the Judas table — a piece ornamented with stylish inlaid silver plaquettes — and the biomorphic Baker sofa. After an article authored by Kaufmann on Juhl and his work appeared in the U.S.-based magazine Interiors in 1948, he began receiving American commissions.
Kaufmann commissioned Juhl to create the exhibition design for, and contribute pieces to, the 1951 edition of the Good Design shows he organized for MoMA and Chicago’s Merchandise Mart. Baker Furniture asked Juhl to design for the firm, and he produced a collection of chairs, tables and cabinets, and, later, the 1957 sofa.
Scandinavian modernist seating, such as the chairs and sofas Juhl created for Baker, became immensely popular in postwar America, as the seeds of the Scandinavian style that Juhl sowed took root and spread in the United States. Juhl and his work featured prominently in the landmark show “Design from Scandinavia,” which opened in 1954 at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts and traveled to 24 museums in the U.S. and Canada; over three years, it was seen by more than a million people.
Juhl’s furniture — as well as his ceramics, tableware and accessories — has an air of relaxed sophistication and elegance that is unique in the realm of mid-century design.
Find vintage Finn Juhl armchairs, coffee tables, desks and other furniture for sale on 1stDibs.
Finn Juhl 'FJ Elements' Table Lamp in White for Louis Poulsen
By Finn Juhl, Louis Poulsen
Located in Glendale, CA
Finn Juhl 'FJ Elements' Table Lamp in White for Louis Poulsen This lamp design is one of the few ever created by Finn Juhl (1912-1989), one of Denmark's most renowned architects. In...
Aluminum
Finn Juhl 'FJ Elements' Table Lamp in Grey for Louis Poulsen
By Louis Poulsen, Finn Juhl
Located in Glendale, CA
Finn Juhl 'FJ Elements' Table Lamp in Grey for Louis Poulsen This lamp design is one of the few ever created by Finn Juhl (1912-1989), one of Denmark's most renowned architects. Ini...
Aluminum
Finn Juhl 'FJ Elements' Pendant in White for Louis Poulsen
By Finn Juhl, Louis Poulsen
Located in Glendale, CA
Finn Juhl 'FJ Elements' Pendant in White for Louis Poulsen This lamp design is one of the few ever created by Finn Juhl (1912-1989), one of Denmark's most renowned architects. Init...
Aluminum
Finn Juhl 'FJ Elements' Table Lamp in Black for Louis Poulsen
By Finn Juhl, Louis Poulsen
Located in Glendale, CA
Finn Juhl 'FJ Elements' Table Lamp in Black for Louis Poulsen This lamp design is one of the few ever created by Finn Juhl (1912-1989), one of Denmark's most renowned architects. In...
Aluminum
Finn Juhl 'FJ Elements' Pendant in Black for Louis Poulsen
By Finn Juhl, Louis Poulsen
Located in Glendale, CA
Finn Juhl 'FJ Elements' Pendant in Black for Louis Poulsen This lamp design is one of the few ever created by Finn Juhl (1912-1989), one of Denmark's most renowned architects. Init...
Aluminum
Finn Juhl 'FJ Elements' Pendant in Grey for Louis Poulsen
By Finn Juhl, Louis Poulsen
Located in Glendale, CA
Finn Juhl 'FJ Elements' Pendant in Grey for Louis Poulsen This lamp design is one of the few ever created by Finn Juhl (1912-1989), one of Denmark's most renowned architects. Initi...
Aluminum
Vintage Louis Poulsen Grey Pendant Lamp 'Klassependel', 1960s
By Louis Poulsen
Located in Esbjerg, DK
Designed in-house by Louis Poulsen in Denmark in 1967. It is called Class Room Pendant Light (Da: Klassependel) and it composed of a grey lacquered aluminium main shade with an acryl...
Metal
Louis Poulsen, Grey Pendant Lamp 'Klassependel', 1970s
By Louis Poulsen
Located in Esbjerg, DK
Designed in-house by Louis Poulsen in Denmark in 1967. It is called Class Room Pendant Light (Da: Klassependel) and it composed of a grey lacquered aluminium main shade with an acryl...
Aluminum
$635Sale Price|28% Off
H 7.88 in Dm 18.9 in
1958, Poul Henningsen for Louis Poulsen, PH5 Pendant Light
By Louis Poulsen, Poul Henningsen
Located in Amsterdam IJMuiden, NL
This chair is part of the private collection of Casey Godrie and is situated in his private house. Ask him for competitive shipping quotes. His incredible Dune Villa, Amsterdam Beac...
Metal
$725Sale Price|25% Off
H 10 in Dm 11 in
Jens Moller-Jensen for Louis Poulsen Orbiter Pendant Lamps, Signed
By Jens Møller-Jensen, Louis Poulsen
Located in Los Angeles, CA
These 'Orbiter' pendant lamps were originally designed by Jens Møller-Jensen in 1963 and later manufactured in Denmark by Louis Poulsen during the 1980s. T...
Metal
Danish Pendant Lamp by Verner Panton for Louis Poulsen, 1960s
By Verner Panton, Louis Poulsen
Located in Hagenbach, DE
Metal pendant lamp by Verner Panton for Louis Panton made in the 1960s. Measures: Height of shade 15 cm Max height 100 cm Diame...
Brass
Louis Poulsen PH5 Pendant
By Louis Poulsen, Poul Henningsen
Located in Vienna, AT
The Lamp was designed by Louis Poulsen. Designed to hang low over the table, they create a 100% glare-free light these pendants have purple band details on the underside and orange...
Aluminum
Poul Henningsen Kontrast Pendant for Louis Poulsen
By Poul Henningsen, Louis Poulsen
Located in Vienna, AT
Aluminum lacquered white/orange and chromed parts with black lacquered brass fittings. PH kontrast or snowball designed by Poul Henningsen in 1958-1962 and manufactured by Louis Poulsen. Literature: Light Years Ahead...
Aluminum, Steel
$828 / item
H 6.42 in W 11.82 in D 11.82 in
Poul Henningsen PH5 Mini Pendant in Hues of Blue for Louis Poulsen
By Louis Poulsen, Poul Henningsen
Located in Tilburg, NL
Poul Henningsen PH5 mini pendant for Louis Poulsen. Designed 1958, Mini in 2017. New, current production. Poul Henningsen developed the PH 5 in 1958 in response to constant change...
Metal
Louis Poulsen 'Doo-Wop' Pendant in Brass
By Louis Poulsen
Located in Tilburg, NL
Louis Poulsen 'Doo-Wop' Pendant, Denmark. Designed in the 1950s, new production. Originally introduced in the 1950s. Was designed in close cooperation between the Navy Buildings Department and Louis Poulsen. The pendant was used for many years in the buildngs of the Navy for many different applications such as canteens and offices. The Navy Pendant, which was the name at that time, was widely used because of the unique lighting properties and utility. Not until the early 1980s the product was taken out of the Louis Poulsen catalogues. The design appears timeless but has a strong connection to the New...
Metal
Louis Poulsen 'Doo-Wop' Pendant in White
By Louis Poulsen
Located in Tilburg, NL
Louis Poulsen 'Doo-Wop' pendant, Denmark. Designed in the 1950s, new production. Originally introduced in the 1950s. Was designed in close cooperation between the Navy Buildings Department and Louis Poulsen. The pendant was used for many years in the buildngs of the Navy for many different applications such as canteens and offices. The Navy Pendant, which was the name at that time, was widely used because of the unique lighting properties and utility. Not until the early 1980s the product was taken out of the Louis Poulsen catalogues. The design appears timeless but has a strong connection to the New...
Metal
Extra Large White Steel PH Artichoke Lamp For Louis Poulsen
By Poul Henningsen, Louis Poulsen
Located in New York, NY, NY
The PH Artichoke Pendant is a stunning addition to any indoor space, boasting a sleek stainless steel construction and a soft white color that complements any room. With its sensor ...
Aluminum, Steel
Poul Henningsen PH 3½-3 Pendant in White for Louis Poulsen
By Poul Henningsen, Louis Poulsen
Located in Tilburg, NL
Poul Henningsen PH 3½-3 Pendant in Yellow for Louis Poulsen. Denmark, new production. The PH 3½-3 pendant is based on Poul Henningsen's original drawings from the late1920s and ea...
Metal
Large Finn Juhl Pendant for Lyfa, 1963
By Finn Juhl
Located in Copenhagen, DK
Large size Finn Juhl pendant. Designed 1963, manufactured during approximately 7 years at Lyfa, Denmark. Light blue and blue painted metal, adjustable lower shade. Diameter 3...