Jens Risom | |
|---|---|
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| Born | (1916-05-08)8 May 1916 Copenhagen, Denmark |
| Died | 9 December 2016(2016-12-09) (aged 100) New Canaan, Connecticut, U.S. |
| Alma mater | The School of Arts and Crafts, Copenhagen |
| Occupation | Industrial designer |
Jens Risom (/ˈdʒɛnsˈriːsəm/JENSSREE-səm; 8 May 1916 – 9 December 2016) was aDanish Americanfurniture designer. An exemplar ofMid-Century modern design, Risom was one of the first designers to introduceScandinavian design in theUnited States.[1]
Risom was born inCopenhagen,Denmark, on 8 May 1916.[2] His father was a prominent architect,Sven Risom, a member of the school ofNordic Classicism. Risom was trained as a designer at theCopenhagen School of Industrial Arts and Design (Kunsthåndværkerskolen), where he studied underOle Wanscher andKaare Klint. He was classmates withHans Wegner andBørge Mogensen.[3]
Risom spent two years atNiels Brock Copenhagen Business College, before beginning work as a furniture developer and interior designer with the architectural firm of Ernst Kuhn. He later relocated toStockholm, taking a job with a small architectural firm. From there he joined the design department ofNordiska Kompaniet where he was introduced toAlvar Aalto andBruno Mathsson.[4]
In 1939, Risom traveled toNew York City to study American design. He found it difficult to find work as a furniture designer in New York, however, and was forced to accept a number of textile designs that ultimately secured him freelance work with designer Dan Cooper. This led to his work being included in theCollier's "House of Ideas" designed byEdward Durell Stone and constructed in front ofRockefeller Center during the1939 New York World's Fair.[3]
In 1941, Risom teamed with entrepreneurHans Knoll and in 1942, they launched theHans Knoll Furniture Company with 15 of the 20 pieces in the inaugural "600" line designed by Risom.[3][5] These works includedstools,armchairs andlounges, made fromcedar and surpluswebbing—works which have since become design classics.[3] In 1941, Risom sold 21 furniture designs to Frederik Lunning Inc. who produced prototypes forGeorg Jensen Inc. (New York, NY), launched as The Lunning Collection in October 1942.[6]
With the advent ofWorld War II, Risom was drafted into theUnited States Army in 1943 and served underGeneralGeorge S. Patton.[5] After completing his military service, Risom briefly returned to Knoll in New York, but soon decided to launch his own firm, Jens Risom Design (JRD), which he launched on 1 May 1946.[3]
Risom's reputation as a furniture designer continued to grow, and Risom began to promote Scandinavian design in home furniture to the broader American public. In the 1950s, JRD ran a series of ads featuring photography byRichard Avedon and the slogan "The Answer is Risom." The result of this success was that in 1954, JRD launched a major expansion of its production facilities. In the late 1950s, JRD shifted its focus away from home furnishings and towards office furniture, hospital furniture, and library furniture.[3] In 1961, Risom was one of six furniture designers featured in a profile inPlayboy magazine. One of Risom's executiveoffice chairs became famous whenLyndon B. Johnson chose to use it in theOval Office.[5]
Risom sold JRD toDictaphone in 1970, after having run the company for 25 years.[3] Risom stayed on as CEO for 3 years,[7] and then relocated from New York toNew Canaan, Connecticut and launched a consulting service, Design Control.[3]
Risom died at his home inNew Canaan, Connecticut, at the age of 100.[8]
Many of Risom's furniture designs are considered modern classics, and his furniture is on display at theMuseum of Modern Art, theYale University Art Gallery, theBrooklyn Museum, theRhode Island School of Design Museum, and theCooper–Hewitt, National Design Museum. In 1996, Risom was presented with the Danish Knight's Cross byMargrethe II of Denmark.[3] Risom was a long-standingtrustee of theRhode Island School of Design.[5]
In 1997,Knoll reissued Risom's furniture designs from the 1940s and 1950s.[3] Two London galleries—Rocket Gallery and Liberty Gallery—launched retrospectives of Risom's work in 2008.[9]
Risom's revival in the United States was spearheaded by furniture company RALPH PUCCI which has been consistently working and showing Jens' work since 2001.[10]
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