Lot 13 Finn Juhl

THE POET SOFA, BY FINN JUHL (1911-1989), DANISH, c.1950, the shaped body retaining its original upholstery, on tapering splayed legs, 135cm (w) x 87cm (h) x 80cm (d) Provenance: Acquired by the present owners parents when visiting Denmark in 1950. While working as an architect Finn Juhl began to design furniture which was first shown at the 1937 Copenhagen Cabinetmakers Guild exhibition. The furniture, produced in collaboration with Niels Vodder, was significantly different from his contemporaries of the Kaare Klint school, the pieces were more sculptural, organic forms, such as the Pelican Chair. In 1945 Juhl moved to set up his own practice and the furniture it yielded garnered great acclaim. He was awarded six medals at Milan Triennale exhibitions and fourteen prizes by the Copenhagen Cabinetmakers Guild. In the 1950s Juhl began to export his furniture, particularly to the USA. This was really the first time that Danish design was seen internationally and so it is Finn Juhl's designs that people most associate with the Danish aesthetic. From 1945 Juhl was the senior instructor at the School of Interior Design in Copenhagen and in this capacity greatly influenced the course of Danish Design. He designed the Poet Sofa for his own house at Charlottenlund, north of Copenhagen, in 1941. The Juhl House marked the very beginning of open plan living, with garden views from every room. The organic furniture was designed to be comfortable, using the best materials and is a triumph in early Danish Design. The Poet Sofa appears on the cover of FINN JUHL AND HIS HOUSE, by Per Hansen. These two rare sofas come from a Private Irish collection. They were acquired in Denmark in 1950 by the present owner's parents, who visited Denmark and Sweden with Ivan and Myrtle Allen prior to the opening of Ballymaloe House. It is rare to see a pair, in original upholstery. It is even rarer to see them travel from Denmark to Ireland in 1950.