Hans J. Wegner

Hans J. Wegner was born in 1914 in Tønder, Denmark. In 1936, at the age of 22, he attended the School of Arts and Crafts in Copenhagen, later returning as a teacher. In 1943 he opened his own design studio and created the Chinese Chair, which, along with his 1949 Round Chair, formed the basis for many of his later chairs. The Round Chair became known simply as The Chair. While The Chair is probably the main icon of Wegner’s career, the Wishbone Chair is widely considered to be his most successful design.

Hans J. Wegner was also a brilliant light designer. His pendant from 1962, “The Pendant” has been in production ever since. Both The Pendant and his futuristic Opala-series – originally designed in the seventies for Hotel Scandinavia in Copenhagen – are now manufactured by Pandul. Hans J. Wegner received many international awards for his work and in June 1997, he was awarded an Honorary Doctorate by The Royal College of Art in London.