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Fritz Hansen

Danish, 1847-1902

When the Copenhagen-based furniture maker Fritz Hansen opened for business more than 140 years ago, the company — which today styles itself The Republic of Fritz Hansen — adhered to the traditional, time-honored Danish values of craftsmanship in woodworking and joinery. Yet thanks to the postwar innovations of Arne Jacobsen and others, Fritz Hansen would become the country’s leader in Scandinavian modern design using new, forward-looking materials and methods.

Fritz Hansen started his company in 1872, specializing in the manufacture of small furniture parts. In 1915, the firm became the first in Denmark to make chairs using steam-bent wood (a technique most familiar from birch used in the ubiquitous café chairs by Austrian maker Thonet). At the time, Fritz Hansen was best known for seating that featured curved legs and curlicue splats and referenced 18th-century Chippendale designs.

In the next few decades, the company promoted simple, plain chairs with slatted backs and cane or rush seats designed by such proto-modernist masters as Kaare Klint and Søren Hansen. Still, the most aesthetically striking piece Fritz Hansen produced in the first half of the 20th century was arguably the China chair of 1944 by Hans Wegner — and that piece, with its yoke-shaped bentwood back- and armrest, was based on seating manufactured in China during the Ming dynasty. (Wegner was moved by portraits he’d seen of Danish merchants in the Chinese chairs.) 

Everything changed in 1952 with Arne Jacobsen’s Ant chair. The collaboration between the architect and Fritz Hansen officially originated in 1934 — that year, Jacobsen created his inaugural piece for the manufacturer, the solid beechwood Bellevue chair for a restaurant commission. The Ant chair, however, was the breakthrough.

With assistance from his then-apprentice Verner Panton, Jacobsen designed the Ant chair for the cafeteria of a Danish healthcare company called Novo Nordisk. The chair was composed of a seat and backrest formed from a single piece of molded plywood attached, in its original iteration, to three tubular metal legs. Its silhouette suggests the shape of the insect’s body, and the lightweight, stackable chair and its biomorphic form became an international hit.

Jacobsen followed with more plywood successes, such as the Grand Prix chair of 1957. The following year he designed the SAS Royal Hotel in Copenhagen and its furnishings, including the Egg chair and the Swan chair. Those two upholstered pieces, with their lush, organic frames made of fiberglass-reinforced polyurethane, have become the two chairs most emblematic of mid-20th-century cool. Moreover, the Egg and Swan led Fritz Hansen to fully embrace new man-made materials, like foam, plastic and steel wire used to realize the avant-garde creations of later generations of designers with whom the firm collaborated, such as Piet Hein, Jørn Utzon (the architect of the Sydney Opera House) and Verner Panton. If the Fritz Hansen of 1872 would not now recognize his company, today’s connoisseurs certainly do.

Find a collection of vintage Fritz Hansen tables, lounge chairs, sofas and other furniture on 1stDibs.

Average Sold Price
$4,817
Styles
Materials
Related Creators
Pair of H. Engholm and Svende Age Willumsen for Fritz Hansen portable tables
By Fritz Hansen, Willumsen & Engholm
Located in Ferndale, MI
Pair of Danish teak tray tables (Model 4508) designed by Svend Åge Willumsen and Hans Engholm for Fritz Hansen in 1958 . Great representation of form and function, both practical a...
Category

Mid-20th Century Danish Scandinavian Modern Fritz Hansen

Materials

Wood

Series 7 Chairs by Arne Jacobsen for Fritz Hansen
By Arne Jacobsen, Fritz Hansen
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Iconic, Scandinavian Modern, Series 7, model 3107 chairs by Arne Jacobsen for Fritz Hansen. Perfect for dining or office/desk use. 6 stackable chairs ...
Category

Late 20th Century Danish Scandinavian Modern Fritz Hansen

Materials

Steel

Arne Jacobsen Model 3173c Oxford Classic
By Arne Jacobsen, Fritz Hansen
Located in Berkeley, CA
The original version of the Oxford chair was designed for the professors at St. Catherine’s College in Oxford. The chair’s extra tall back served as a symbol of prestige and created a space of its own. The “professor’s chair...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary American Mid-Century Modern Fritz Hansen

Materials

Oak

Arne Jacobsen Model 3173c Oxford Classic
Arne Jacobsen Model 3173c Oxford Classic
H 40.9 in W 23.6 in D 19.6 in
1965 Danish Arne Jacobsen Saint Catherines Desk in Oak by Fritz Hansen
By Arne Jacobsen, Fritz Hansen
Located in Knebel, DK
Danish Arne Jacobsen Saint Catherines Desk in Oak by Fritz Hansen The desks are marked with a Fritz Hansen label from July 1965 and have...
Category

1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Fritz Hansen

Materials

Oak

Pair of Custom Made Boucle Armchairs
By Fritz Hansen
Located in London, GB
Dagmar Design Model 54 Lounge Chair A pair of custom made lounge chairs developed and produced at our workshops in London using the highest qu...
Category

2010s British Scandinavian Modern Fritz Hansen

Materials

Bouclé, Beech

Pair of Custom Made Boucle Armchairs
Pair of Custom Made Boucle Armchairs
H 28.75 in W 27.96 in D 28.75 in
Pair of Arts and Crafts Armchairs by Thorvald Jørgensen for Fritz Hansen 1910’s
By Fritz Hansen
Located in Valby, 84
Rare pair of Arts and Crafts armchairs crafted by the renowned designer Thorvald Jørgensen for Fritz Hansen. Constructed from high-quality beech wood, these chairs exude timeless ele...
Category

1910s Danish Arts and Crafts Vintage Fritz Hansen

Materials

Wool, Beech

'AX' Chair, Hvidt & Mølgaard, Denmark, 1950s
By Orla Mølgaard-Nielsen, Peter Hvidt, Fritz Hansen
Located in London, GB
An 'AX' Chair with leather upholstery, designed by Peter Hvidt & Orla Mølgaard-Nielsen in 1948. This chair was made during the 1950s for Fritz Hansen. The designs of Hvidt & Mølgaa...
Category

1950s Danish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Fritz Hansen

Materials

Leather, Beech, Teak

'AX' Chair, Hvidt & Mølgaard, Denmark, 1950s
'AX' Chair, Hvidt & Mølgaard, Denmark, 1950s
H 29.14 in W 24.02 in D 28.35 in
AX Table Hvidt & Mølgaard Denmark, 1950s
By Orla Mølgaard-Nielsen, Peter Hvidt, Fritz Hansen
Located in London, GB
An 'AX' table designed by Peter Hvidt & Orla Mølgaard-Nielsen. This table was made during the 1950s for Fritz Hansen. Peter Hvidt & Orla Mølgaard-Nielsen designed their 'AX' collec...
Category

1950s Danish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Fritz Hansen

Materials

Beech, Teak

AX Table Hvidt & Mølgaard Denmark, 1950s
AX Table Hvidt & Mølgaard Denmark, 1950s
H 22.05 in W 36.03 in D 18.9 in
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Fritz Hansen furniture for sale on 1stDibs.

Fritz Hansen furniture 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 Fritz Hansen furniture, although brown editions of this piece are particularly popular. We have 751 vintage editions of these items in-stock, while there is 309 modern edition to choose from as well. Many of the original furniture by Fritz Hansen were created in the mid-century modern style in europe during the 20th century. If you’re looking for additional options, many customers also consider furniture by Arne Jacobsen, Børge Mogensen, and Hans J. Wegner. Prices for Fritz Hansen furniture can differ depending upon size, time period and other attributes — on 1stDibs, these items begin at $149 and can go as high as $100,189, while a piece like these, on average, fetch $3,342.

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