Finn Juhl 45 Chair

In the Autumn of 1945, Finn Juhl presented the 45 Chair at the annual Cabinetmakers' Guild Exhibition. Today, the chair is widely regarded as one of the most revolutionizing and iconic pieces within Danish furniture design. Finn Juhl dreamt of studying art history and his deep understanding of international contemporary art is abundantly clear in the bold 45 Chair. With its curved backrest and organic shape, this chair cemented Finn Juhl as one of the leading designers of the 20th century.

In a review on Finn Juhl's stand at the exhibition in 1945, the architect Erik Herløw wrote; "Most interesting about the exhibition is probably Finn Juhl's work. After many years of experiments, we now see a clarified result. Finn Juhl does not design on a refinement of traditions but has instead logically solved functions and therefrom shaped furniture on his terms. In the early years, Finn Juhl's attempts seemed exaggerated, but now it is so much more interesting to observe the result he has achieved by going his own ways. Most beautiful is an armchair, where the frame is organically shaped as a bone, able to support the muscles of an arm and the weight of a body. The expression of the chair is reminiscent of a weapon, sharpened by human hands."