Jens Risom
Jens Risom | |
---|---|
Born | Copenhagen, Denmark | 8 May 1916
Died | 9 December 2016 New Canaan, Connecticut, U.S. | (aged 100)
Nationality | Danish-American |
Alma mater | The School of Arts and Crafts, Copenhagen |
Occupation | Industrial designer |
Jens Risom (
Biography
Risom was born in Copenhagen, Denmark, on 8 May 1916.[2] His father was a prominent architect, Sven Risom, a member of the school of Nordic Classicism. Risom was trained as a designer at the Copenhagen School of Industrial Arts and Design (Kunsthåndværkerskolen), where he studied under Ole Wanscher and Kaare Klint. He was classmates with Hans Wegner and Børge Mogensen.[3]
Risom spent two years at Niels Brock Copenhagen Business College, before beginning work as a furniture developer and interior designer with the architectural firm of Ernst Kuhn. He later relocated to Stockholm, taking a job with a small architectural firm. From there he joined the design department of Nordiska Kompaniet where he was introduced to Alvar Aalto and Bruno Mathsson.[4]
In 1939, Risom traveled to
In 1941, Risom teamed with entrepreneur
With the advent of
Risom's reputation as a furniture designer continued to grow, and Risom began to promote Scandinavian design in home furniture to the broader American public. In the 1950s, JRD ran a series of ads featuring photography by Richard Avedon and the slogan "The Answer is Risom." The result of this success was that in 1954, JRD launched a major expansion of its production facilities. In the late 1950s, JRD shifted its focus away from home furnishings and towards office furniture, hospital furniture, and library furniture.[3] In 1961, Risom was one of six furniture designers featured in a profile in Playboy magazine. One of Risom's executive office chairs became famous when Lyndon B. Johnson chose to use it in the Oval Office.[5]
Risom sold JRD to Dictaphone in 1970, after having run the company for 25 years.[3] Risom stayed on as CEO for 3 years,[7] and then relocated from New York to New Canaan, Connecticut and launched a consulting service, Design Control.[3]
Risom died at his home in New Canaan, Connecticut, at the age of 100.[8]
Honors
Many of Risom's furniture designs are considered modern classics, and his furniture is on display at the
Modern revival
In 1997,
Risom's revival in the United States was spearheaded by furniture company RALPH PUCCI which has been consistently working and showing Jens' work since 2001.[10]
See also
References
- Brant Publications. Archived from the originalon 11 March 2016. Retrieved 12 December 2016.
- ^ Bernstein, Jacob (December 22, 2016). "Jens Risom, Modernist Designer Whose Furniture Still Has Legs, Dies at 100". The New York Times. p. B12.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Jespersen, Mark. "Jens Risom biography". Russel Wright Design Center. Archived from the original on 16 December 2013. Retrieved 12 December 2016.
- ^ "Jens Risom - the last surviving "20th Century "Design Star""". Dedece Blog. 6 July 2010. Retrieved 12 December 2016.
- ^ a b c d Bravo, Amber (September 2009). "Fascinating Risom". Dwell. Retrieved 17 March 2013.
- ^ Jenssen, Victoria (2022). "Ch.6: Jensen's Suite of Risom-Designed Furniture Inset with Janeway Tiles". The Art of Carol Janeway: A Tile & Ceramics Career with Georg Jensen Inc. and Ossip Zadkine in 1940s Manhattan. Friesen Press. pp. 100–112.
- ISBN 9780192800978.
- ^ "Legendary Designer Jens Risom Dies at Age 100". ContractDesign.com. 10 December 2016.
- ^ "Jens Risom Exhibition, London". Wallpaper. Retrieved 17 March 2013.
- ISSN 0003-8520.