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Kaare Klint Wingback Chairs

Danish, 1888-1954

Architect, teacher and furniture designer Kaare Klint is among the most important figures in Scandinavian modernism. Widely recognized as the father of modern Danish furniture, Klint sought to pay homage to historical furniture styles and prized functionality as essential to designing for modern living. He established the design school at Copenhagen’s Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts, and his students became mid-century legends of cabinetry and furniture-making.

Klint prioritized functionalism and drew on an array of influences in his own work. Furniture experts will observe the influence of 18th-century English seating in his Red chair, while Klint’s iconic Safari chair had roots in campaign furniture. The other exemplary chairs, sofas and tables for which he is known bear the mark of Thomas Chippendale and Biedermeier furniture as well as Greek and Roman forms.

Klint's father was Peder Vilhelm Jensen-Klint, a formidable architect of his day. The younger Klint initially followed in his father’s footsteps, studying under him as well as distinguished architect Carl Petersen. Alongside Danish architect Ivar Bentsen, he headed the renovation of the Designmuseum Denmark in Copenhagen from 1920–26 (Klint also furnished the institution as part of the project). Around the same time, Klint helped found the furniture design school at the Royal Danish Academy. The impact of his role as an instructor there cannot be overstated — he mentored such esteemed cabinetmakers and furniture designers as Børge Mogensen, Hans Wegner and Ole Wanscher.

A prominent advocate of ergonomics, Klint valued comfort and functionality over style. Painstaking research went into each piece of sophisticated yet wholly unadorned furniture he designed, as he endeavored to build structures that took into consideration human proportions and scale. And like the Shakers, Klint believed that quality craftsmanship and good materials were integral to the design of durable furniture that was free of embellishment.

The humble grace of Klint’s style characterizes legendary seating designs that continue to charm today’s legions of mid-century modern enthusiasts. His Safari chair, Faaborg chair, Ravenna armchair and Propeller stool — as well as most of the seating created by Danish modernists generally — have warmed interiors and influenced furniture designers all over the world.

Find vintage Kaare Klint furniture and other Scandinavian modern furniture on 1stDibs.

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Creator: Kaare Klint
Pristine Wingback Chair in Patinated Leather by Kaare Klint, 1940s
Pristine Wingback Chair in Patinated Leather by Kaare Klint, 1940s

Pristine Wingback Chair in Patinated Leather by Kaare Klint, 1940s

By Rud Rasmussen, Kaare Klint

Located in Lejre, DK

Great looking wingback chair in patinated black leather, designed by Kaare Klint for Rud Rasmussen in 1946 model 5313. Made in Denmark. Original condition.

Category

1940s Danish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Kaare Klint Wingback Chairs

Materials

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Two-seater sofa model 5011 in original cognac leather and six-legged mahogany base. Produced by Rud. Rasmussen Cabinetmakers, Denmark. Minor marks on the frame, patina to the leather. Back covered in original canvas. Shown at the Copenhagen Cabinetmakers’ Guild exhibition in 1935. Signed with manufacturer’s label to underside: (Rud. Rasmussens Snedkerier). Kaare Klint is widely recognized as the father of Danish modern design. It is hard to overstate his influence. He developed an entirely new analytical approach to furniture design that his students at the Danish Academy of Art would emulate for years to come, yet was also inspired by historic designs from various cultures, modernizing and re-interpreting classic pieces for new generations. Literature: Gorm Harkær, Klintiana: “Kaare Klint”, vol.2, pg 94. Shipping services: Ask for our competitive shipping quote. Kaare Klint (1888-1954) is regarded as the founding father of Danish Modernim. As an architect, furniture designer and leading professor at the Department of Furniture Design at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts, Copenhagen, Klint established the principles of modern Danish furniture by combining a profound appreciation of traditional construction techniques with a modernist emphasis on function and a rejection of ornaments. Klint’s design was always based on relentless research; he never compromised. Every piece had to fulfill its purpose, be completely clear in its construction with dimensions and proportions corresponding to the human body and display materials and craftsmanship of the highest quality. Logic, often using a mathematical system of measures, and a constructive way of thinking were the foundation of Klint’s philosophy of furniture design. Like many of his contemporaries, counting Le Corbusier and Walter Gropius, he advocated standardization and functional requirements and dismissed the use of all ornamentation. But Klint realized his vision in wood and leather, using traditional craftsmen and working methods and often finding inspiration in historical models. In this way, he charted the course for an alternative Nordic Functionalism that idealized the workshop and the collaboration between furniture architects and cabinetmakers as opposed to the factory. Kaare Klint’s first major work was a collaboration with his mentor, the architect Carl Petersen. In 1914 they were commissioned to design furniture and fixtures for Faaborg Art Museum. One of the highlights to emerge from this commission was the Faaborg chair, a light and elegant chair with clear references to classical furniture. The construction and proportions of an 18th century English Chippendale chair was also clearly visible in the famous Red Chair, designed in 1927 for the lecture hall at The Museum of Arts and Crafts (now Design Museum Denmark), but with its straight back deprived of all unnecessary decoration and its beautiful Niger leather, the Red Chair was far from an imitation. Other important works include The Propeller Stool (1927), The ‘Mix Chair’ designed in collaboration with his pupil Edvard Kindt-Larsen in 1930, the Safari Chair (1930), The Deck Chair (1939 and The Church Chair designed in 1936 for the Bethlehem Church in Copenhagen. Also noteworthy are Klint’s well-proportioned cabinets and wardrobes...

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1940s Danish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Kaare Klint Wingback Chairs

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H 45.28 in W 25.6 in D 34.26 in

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Kaare Klint Wingback Chair
Kaare Klint Wingback Chair

Kaare Klint Wingback Chair

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H 46 in W 26.75 in D 34 in

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Kaare Klint green fabric upholstered and leather trim wingback chair

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Kaare Klint wingback chairs for sale on 1stDibs.

Kaare Klint wingback chairs are available for sale on 1stDibs. These distinctive items are frequently made of wood and are designed with extraordinary care. There are many options to choose from in our collection of Kaare Klint wingback chairs, although brown editions of this piece are particularly popular. Many of the original wingback chairs by Kaare Klint were created in the Scandinavian Modern style in scandinavia during the 1940s. If you’re looking for additional options, many customers also consider wingback chairs by Fritz Hansen, Frits Henningsen, and Ib Kofod-Larsen. Prices for Kaare Klint wingback chairs can differ depending upon size, time period and other attributes — on 1stDibs, these items begin at $6,500 and can go as high as $25,000, while a piece like these, on average, fetch $7,500.