Pair of GE240 Cigar Chairs by Hans Wegner for GETAMA
View Similar Items
Pair of GE240 Cigar Chairs by Hans Wegner for GETAMA
About the Item
- Creator:GETAMA (Manufacturer),Hans J. Wegner (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 29 in (73.66 cm)Width: 27 in (68.58 cm)Depth: 30 in (76.2 cm)Seat Height: 15 in (38.1 cm)
- Sold As:Set of 2
- Style:Scandinavian Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:Late 1950s
- Condition:
- Seller Location:Dorchester, MA
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU83785444873
Hans J. Wegner
Best known for his chairs and seating pieces — though a master of many furniture types like sofas and tables — Hans Wegner was a prolific designer whose elegant, often ebullient, forms and devotion to the finest methods in joinery made "Danish Modern" a popular byword for stylish, well-made furniture in the mid-20th century.
Wegner considered himself a carpenter first and a furniture designer second. Like his peers Arne Jacobsen and Finn Juhl, Wegner believed that striking aesthetics in furniture were based on a foundation of practicality: a chair must be comfortable and sturdy before it is chic.
In keeping with that tenet, several of Wegner’s best chair designs, seen in dealer listings below, have their roots in traditional seating forms. The Peacock chair (designed in 1947) is a throne-like adaptation of the Windsor chair; pieces from the China chair series (begun in 1944) as well as the 1949 Wishbone chair, with its distinctive Y-shaped back splat, are derived from 17th-century Ming seating pieces, as is the upholstered Ox chair (1960). Wegner’s comfy Papa Bear chair (1951) is an almost surreally re-scaled English wingback chair.
Wegner’s most representative piece, the Round chair (1949), gained a footnote in political history when it was used on the TV stage of the first Kennedy-Nixon debate of 1960. That chair, along with Wegner’s more bravura designs, for example the 1963 Shell chair, with its curved surfboard-shaped seat, bring a quietly sculptural presence to a room. Wegner was a designer who revered his primary material — wood — and it shows. His wood gathers patina and character with age; every Hans Wegner piece testifies to the life it has led.
GETAMA
The story of how GETAMA got its name is perhaps as unique as the range of subdued but sophisticated Scandinavian modern furniture for which the manufacturer is known (thanks to a partnership with Hans Wegner).
In the late 1890s in the Danish town of Gedsted, a young cabinetmaker by the name of Carl Pedersen opted to use seaweed — rather than the traditional heather or straw — as mattress stuffing. Pedersen named his new factory Gedsted Tang-og Madrasfabrik (the “Gedsted Seaweed and Mattress Factory”), which he abbreviated to GETAMA. Seaweed’s fire-retardant properties make it an excellent and safe upholstery material for mattresses, chairs and sofas. Pedersen leveraged this quality as a selling point — the abundance of seaweed on the shores of Denmark and its weightlessness added to its appeal as an economical but durable upholstery filling for all kinds of furnishings. The crowning quality was its softness.
GETAMA’s seaweed mattresses proved so popular for their comfort and durability that Pedersen had to expand into a larger factory within the first year. He felt almost obligated to launch a line of bedroom furniture to accompany his much-loved mattresses.
The working relationship established in 1959 between Hans Wegner and GETAMA afforded the company the opportunity to break into the international market. Wegner — a legendary Danish carpenter and furniture designer revered by mid-century modern collectors everywhere — became one of the brand’s principal designers and often spent a great deal of time at the factory — refining and adjusting each new piece until he felt satisfied that it was ready for production. For decades, Wegner’s impressive contributions to GETAMA’s daybeds, lounge chairs, sofas and dining room tables became the backbone of the company’s sales.
Over the years, other designers entered into working agreements with GETAMA, including Nissen & Gehl, OM Design, 2R Design, Blum and Balle, and Jørgen Gammelgaard. Copenhagen native Nanna Ditzel, a Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts alum who trained under Kaare Klint, designed GETAMA’s Mondial coffee table. Alongside her husband, Jørgen Ditzel, she also created the sensuously curvy and wildly popular Ring chair.
Today, the sleek modern furniture that GETAMA manufactures is still inclusive of their lauded mattresses.
On 1stDibs, find vintage GETAMA seating, tables, storage cabinets and other furniture.
- Oak and Leather High Back Lounge Chair, GE-260A, by Hans Wegner for GETAMABy GETAMA, Hans J. WegnerLocated in Dorchester, MAHans Wegner designed this minimalist lounge chair, model GE-260A, for GETAMA in 1950. The solid oak frame supports a striking high back to which the tapered arms are attached with br...Category
Vintage 1950s Danish Scandinavian Modern Armchairs
MaterialsBrass
- Oak Side Table with Green Tiles by Hans Wegner for GETAMABy GETAMA, Hans J. WegnerLocated in Dorchester, MADesigned by Hans Wegner for GETAMA, this mid-century side table features a grid of incised green ceramic tiles set into an oak frame, perfect for a su...Category
Vintage 1950s Danish Scandinavian Modern Side Tables
MaterialsOak, Ceramic
- Early ML-33 Oak Rocking Chair with Carvings by Hans Wegner for Mikael LaursenBy Hans J. WegnerLocated in Dorchester, MAHans Wegner designed this oak rocking chair, model ML-33, for Mikael Laursen in the 1940s. The rare rocker, the first that Wegner designed, showcases hi...Category
Vintage 1940s Danish Scandinavian Modern Rocking Chairs
MaterialsUpholstery, Oak
- Wishbone Ottoman by Hans J. WegnerBy Hans J. Wegner, Carl Hansen & SønLocated in Dorchester, MAHans Wegner designed this rarely seen ottoman to accompany his Wishbone seating for Carl Hansen. The original tapered oak frame features a papercord seat, newly wrapped. Manufactu...Category
Vintage 1950s Danish Scandinavian Modern Ottomans and Poufs
MaterialsPapercord, Oak
- Teak Sideboard, Model 20, by Hans Wegner for Ry MøblerBy Hans J. WegnerLocated in Dorchester, MAHans Wegner designed this handsome double sideboard for Ry Møbler. Solidly constructed of oiled teak, the piece features an upper case with sliding do...Category
Mid-20th Century Danish Scandinavian Modern Sideboards
MaterialsOak, Teak
- Teak Sideboard, Model 20, by Hans Wegner for Ry MøblerBy Hans J. Wegner, Ry MøblerLocated in Dorchester, MADesigned by Hans Wegner for Ry Møbler, this double sideboard exemplifies Danish Modernism. Solidly constructed of oiled teak, the piece featu...Category
Vintage 1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Sideboards
MaterialsTeak
- Pair of Oak Cigar Chairs Model Ge240 by Hans J. Wegner for GETAMABy GETAMA, Hans J. WegnerLocated in Little Burstead, EssexThese are a particularly good original pair of Wegner Cigar chairs, all original apart from the covers on the cushions, which retain the original interiors, so feel as they should to...Category
Mid-20th Century Danish Scandinavian Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsWool, Oak
- Cigar Chair Model GE240 by Hans J Wegner for GetamaBy GETAMA, Hans J. WegnerLocated in Little Burstead, EssexA very nice example of this classic chair, freshly uphosltered in Mocha coloured Boucle fabric. The frame in Oak and all in great condition.Category
Mid-20th Century Danish Scandinavian Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsFabric, Oak
- Hans J. Wegner Ge240 'Sigar' Lounge Chair in Oak and Pierre Frey Fabric, GETAMABy GETAMA, Hans J. WegnerLocated in Amsterdam, NLThis is an early example of the Hans J. Wegner Lounge Chair model GE240 for GETAMA, Denmark. The chair is also sometimes called 'Cigar' Chair due the shape of the armrests. Beautiful...Category
Vintage 1950s Danish Scandinavian Modern Armchairs
MaterialsMetal
- Pair of GE 240 Cigar Chars by Hans J Wegner for GetamaBy GETAMA, Hans J. WegnerLocated in Little Burstead, EssexHopefully, as the photos show, these are a beautiful pair of cigar chairs, the frames in great condition, and with freshly upholstered cushions in Mocha colour boucleCategory
Mid-20th Century Danish Scandinavian Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsFabric, Oak
- Hans Wegner for Getama Mid Century GE240 Teak Lounge ChairBy GETAMA, Hans J. WegnerLocated in Countryside, ILHans Wegner for Getama Mid Century GE240 Teak Lounge Chair This chair measures: 26.5 wide x 29 deep x 29.5 high, with a seat height of 16 and arm height/chair clearance 22 inches A...Category
Vintage 1970s Danish Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsUpholstery, Teak
- Early Production Hans Wegner Getama GE-240 Lounge Chair / DenmarkBy GETAMA, Hans J. WegnerLocated in Buffalo, NYEarly production Hans Wegner for Getama GE-240 lounge chair, sometimes called the Cigar series because of the shape of the arm. Teak arms with oak body. Somewhat beefier than the GE-...Category
Vintage 1950s Danish Scandinavian Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsFabric, Oak, Teak
Recently Viewed
View AllRead More
The 21 Most Popular Mid-Century Modern Chairs
You know the designs, now get the stories about how they came to be.
Design Icon Ilse Crawford on Her Colorful New Hans Wegner Chairs
If anyone is brave, humble and adept enough to recolor these mid-century masterpieces, it’s Ilse Crawford. Here, she gives us the details on her five earthy paint choices and tells us how she feels about design collaborations.