THE 45 CHAIR | FINN JUHL | 1945
In the fall of 1945, Finn Juhl unveiled the 45 Chair at the Copenhagen Cabinetmakers' Guild Exhibition. With this chair, he introduced a groundbreaking design where he separated the carried from the carrying elements—something previously unseen. Today, the chair is widely regarded as one of the most revolutionary and iconic pieces in Danish furniture design. The chair is upholstered by hand in Denmark in textile or leather. The frame is available in oak or walnut.
Hallingdal beskrivelse
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Design:
Finn Juhl
Year:
1945, relaunched in 2003
Materials:
Frame: Oak or walnut
Upholstery:
Textile or leather
Model and Dimensions:
FJ 4500
W: 66.5 cm | D: 73 cm | H: 88 cm
Seat height: 42 cm
In the fall of 1945, Finn Juhl unveiled the 45 Chair at the Copenhagen Cabinetmakers' Guild Exhibition. With this chair, he introduced a groundbreaking design where he separated the carried from the carrying elements—something previously unseen. Today, the chair is widely regarded as one of the most revolutionary and iconic pieces in Danish furniture design. The chair is upholstered by hand in Denmark in textile or leather. The frame is available in oak or walnut.
Design:
Finn Juhl
Year:
1945, relaunched in 2003
Materials:
Frame: Oak or walnut
Upholstery:
Textile or leather
Model and Dimensions:
FJ 4500
W: 66.5 cm | D: 73 cm | H: 88 cm
Seat height: 42 cm
The Unique Shape
On the 45 Chair the space between the frame and the seat creates a lightness, which combined with its organic shape and sublime detailing, ensures unique beauty and floating elegance. The chair appeals to all senses and pleases both the eye and body. Furthermore, the 45 Chair has been called “the mother of all modern chairs” by the Japanese professor and design collector Mr. Noritsugu Oda.
The groundbreaking 45 Chair became the beginning of the unfolding of Finn Juhl’s characteristic style of design that we know from the latter part of the 1940s. During this period, his designs are characterized by liberating the seat and backrest as a single unit carried by the frame. This approach became a defining moment in establishing Finn Juhl’s status as a pioneer in furniture design.
The Reception of the Chair
The 45 Chair is a true masterpiece and has become an icon of Finn Juhl’s universe of furniture. With this chair, Finn Juhl managed to create an, at the time, unprecedented design by separating the carried and carrying elements.
In reality, Finn Juhl had previously experimented with separating the upholstered parts from the wooden parts within his furniture, but with its curved backrest and organic shape, the 45 Chair cemented Finn Juhl's status as one of the leading designers of the 20th century.
In a review of Finn Juhl's stand at the exhibition in 1945, the architect Erik Herløw wrote;
