Hans Wegner

Hans Jørgensen Wegner was born on April 2, 1914, in Tønder, southern Jutland, the son of a master cobbler. Apprenticed to a local cabinetmaker at fourteen, he completed his training at the Danish School of Arts and Crafts in Copenhagen.

Wegner was the preeminent master of Danish Modern woodworking, stripping design to its purest organic essence. His 1949 Round Chair became an international icon when chosen for the historic 1960 televised presidential debates between John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon. His 1950 Wishbone Chair (CH24), with its steam-bent Y-shaped back, has remained in continuous production for over seven decades as a worldwide design classic.