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.
Wall-mounted bookcase module by Finn Juhl, Scandinavian design
By Finn Juhl
Located in Milano, IT
Finn Juhl, Small Wall Console / Floating Bookcase, 1950s A refined wall-mounted console, or small floating bookcase, by Finn Juhl and dating to the 1950s, emblematic of the cultured...
Wood
Original Pen & Pencil Drawing Finn Juhl, 1952
By Finn Juhl
Located in London, GB
This is an example of a hand-drawn scaled drawing of the ‘Top of New Dining Table (DRW.79)’, 17th December 1952. The drawings depicts the top view of what seems to be a ‘simplified’ version of Finn Juhl’s Silver Table, or more commonly known as the ‘Judas Table...
Paper
Original Photo of Furniture, Interior by Finn Juhl / Denmark, 1956
By Finn Juhl
Located in Praha, CZ
- Czechoslovakia, 1951 - Museum of decorative Arts in Czech republic - Suitable for framing. jr
Paper
Vintage Boho Original Yale Swim Team Photo
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
Add a distinguished touch of collegiate history to your walls with this captivating vintage photograph of the Yale University swim team. Dating back to the early 20th century, this s...
Glass, Wood, Paper
Paul McCobb Wall-Mounted Floating Console
By Paul McCobb
Located in Culver City, CA
Introducing an extraordinary mid-century wall-mounted floating three-tier console, a sought-after piece designed by the esteemed Paul McCobb for Bryce Originals in the 1950s. With it...
Steel, Cut Steel
$5,900
H 95.5 in W 65.5 in D 21 in
Mid Century Omni Wood Modular Wall Unit Shelving & Bookcase by George Nelson
By George Nelson
Located in Detroit, MI
This vintage mid century modern Omni wall unit shelving system designed by George Nelson is circa 1960. This ingenious shelving system features spring-loaded floor to ceiling aluminu...
Metal, Aluminum
Wall Mounted Secretary Desk Cabinet by Charles Webb, Circa 1970s
By Charles Webb
Located in Peabody, MA
A wall mounted secretary desk, commissioned from the Cambridge, MA maker Charles Webb in the late 1970s. Fashioned in a glowing maple, it features a drop down writing surface support...
Maple
$6,070 / item
H 48.8 in W 59 in D 11 in
"Correas" Wall Mounted Bookshelf Designed by Miguel Mila' for Dessie'
By Miguel Milà, Dessie Studio
Located in Brooklyn, NY
"Correas" is a wall mounted bookshelf, designed by Miguel Mila' and manufactured by Dessie', featuring 3 or 4 shelves, fixed to two or three uprig...
Stainless Steel
$2,650 / set
H 49.5 in W 73.5 in D 10 in
1960s Scandinavian Two Bay Wall Unit System Record Cabinet Cado Royal System
By Poul Cadovius
Located in Chula Vista, CA
For your consideration, a Vintage Scandinavian Modern wall unit system 2 bay in walnut wood. Unmarked. Attribution Poul Cadovius for Roya...
Walnut
Mid-Century Scandinavian Teak Wall Shelf, Sailboat Design, Denmark
Located in Miami, FL
A Mid-Century Scandinavian style sculpted teak wall shelf, made in Denmark. This interesting sail boat shaped wall shelf is great for a decorative item. Place your favorite vase,...
Teak
$5,387
H 6.7 in W 35.44 in D 9.45 in
Wall Mounted Floating Furniture by Kai Kristiansen For Aksel Kjersgaard 1960
By Kai Kristiansen, Aksel Kjersgaard
Located in Antwerp, BE
Rare floating wall mounted furniture with two drawers designed by Kai Kristiansen 1960's. Hand crafted furniture with visible joints and refined metal handles on the two drawers. Lab...
Teak
Large Mid-Century Modern Bookcase or Wall Unit
Located in Brooklyn, NY
This impressive Mid-Century Modern wall unit boasts natural wood finish and spacious storage options add to the appeal of this stunning piece. This vintage modern sideboard features ...
Wood
$600Sale Price|20% Off
H 19 in W 16.5 in D 1.25 in
Bruce of LA Original 1950s Male Physique Photo Model Barry Adkins
By Bruce Bellas, Bruce of Los Angeles
Located in Palm Springs, CA
From a important 25 plus years collection of Male Physique and Beefcake Photography, Image # 8 of male model Barry Adkins. Printed in the 1960s and are all signed by the studio when Mr. Bruce Bellas aka Bruce of LA was alive. Beautifully, professionally framed. Double white mat and simple black frame. All orig photos are 8 x 10. Framed: 16.50" W x 19" H. Other images from this L.A gallery show on separate listings... please check often while we list more every week. These photographs are very hard to shoot under glass. They are sharp, clear photographs printed the old fashioned way, by hand in the late 50s and early 60s. BIO: Bruce Harry Bellas (July 7, 1909 – July 1974) was an American photographer. He was influential in his work with male physiques and nudes. Bellas was well known under the pseudonym Bruce of Los Angeles. History and influence: Bruce Harry Bellas was born in Alliance, Nebraska on July 7, 1909. He worked as a chemistry teacher there until 1947, when he began photographing bodybuilders in Los Angeles, California, beginning with taking pictures of bodybuilding competitions. In 1956, Bellas launched his own magazine, The Male Figure. Among physique photographers, Bellas' work was noted for having a distinctly campy, tongue-in-cheek sensibility. Bellas also produced a number of early homoerotic 8 mm films with titles such as Cowboy Washup and Big Gun for Hire. Bellas was known to travel around the country, finding new models to photograph and also personally delivering nude photographs to customers, since they were liable to be seized by postal inspectors if sent through the mail. An extensive archive of Bellas' nude male physique...
Other
Chrome & Brass Wall Mounted Shelves
Located in Hanover, MA
Blingy and glamorous 1970s custom made wall mounted shelves consisting of chromed steel single-track shelf standard which is embedded within a chann...
Brass, Stainless Steel, Chrome
$1,256
H 8.27 in W 11.82 in D 0.2 in
Original Photo Signed by the Provocative Japanese Photographer Nobuyoshi Araki
By Nobuyoshi Araki
Located in Sofia, BG
Black and white original gelatin silver print signed by the Japanese photographer, Nobuyoshi Araki, who is primarily known for his provocative images that combine fine art and photog...
Paper
Original Pen & Pencil Drawing Finn Juhl, 1951
By Finn Juhl
Located in London, GB
This is an example of a hand-drawn 1:4 scale orthographic drawing of the ‘Conversation Armchair in Maple-Walnut’, 1st March, 1951 by Finn Juhl. The drawings depicts the font view, side on, back, top view and the detail of the armrest.The drawings were sent to Baker Furniture in Michigan...
Paper
Finn Juhl Wall Console in Wood with Drawer
By Finn Juhl
Located in Milano, IT
Wall hanging console table by Finn Juhl from the 1950s-60s. Console can double as an entryway shelf. The wall mounted console is totally made of walnut ...
Wood
Finn Juhl Brazilian rosewood wall unit
By Finn Juhl
Located in New York, NY
FINN JUHL, Danish Architect (1912-1989) Wall Unit Bovirke, Denmark, 1953 Brazilian Rosewood, black laminate, brass details Overall size: 154"L x 79"H x 14"D Designed in 1953....
Rosewood