Rare Pair Of Ole Wansher Bookcase Desks, Copenhagen Denmark

Born in Copenhagen in 1903, architect-designer Ole Wanscher was a major player in the mid-century modern movement in Denmark. In the post-war period, the simple and refined aesthetic he achieved by reinventing classic forms helped redefine Scandinavian design, and many of his pieces have become classics in Danish interiors. Wanscher studied at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts under the renowned architect-designer Kaare Klint (1888–1954). Upon completing his studies, Wanscher worked with Klint from 1924 to 1927, and following Klint's death, Wanscher was granted the title of professor at the academy—a position he held until his retirement in 1973. In 1927, Wanscher opened his own architectural practice, specializing in furniture design. Like Klint, Wanscher disagreed with modernism's wholesale rejection of the past and preferred to explore a classical yet minimal aesthetic, complemented by a careful study of the human body. Wanscher was also strongly influenced by the work of Greece, China, and Egypt—which he discovered during his extensive travels—as well as proto-modernist movements, such as the Vienna Secession, Biedermeier, and Shaker styles. Between the 1940s and 1960s, Wanscher enjoyed productive collaborations with small cabinetmakers and craftsmen, such as master A.J. Iversen (1888–1979), as well as with large Danish firms, such as France & Son, Fritz Hansen, Poul Jeppesen, and Rud Rasmussen. With Iversen, he created the iconic Ladies Desk (1954) and Egyptian Stool (1957). Other important designs by Wanscher include the PJ-149 Colonial Chair (1949), the Rungstedlund Dining Chair (circa 1950), and the PJ-112 Sofa (1951) for Poul Jeppesen; as well as the Rocking Chair 110 (1951) and the Senator Armchair (1951) for France & Son. Wanscher went on to write various articles and publish numerous books on the history of design, such as The History of the Arts of Furniture (1956) and Five Thousand Years of Furniture (1967). Although less well known than many of his contemporaries—Finn Juhl, Hans Wegner, Poul Henningsen, and so on—Wanscher left a strong impression on many important critics. In 1958, Sven Erik Moller wrote in the Danish newspaper Politiken: "Those who own a chair by Wanscher will enjoy a daily experience—perhaps for 500 years, for that is how long it will last. One feels the man behind the chair and the value of human labor..." In 2003, renowned New York Times art critic Roberta Smith commented: "He fully and equally combined the talent of a master craftsman, designer, and sculptor with that of a historian. In particular, his sensitivity to the luster and living delicacy of wood enabled him to bring organic life and a sense of the rich past into the modern, indelible simplicity of the International Style." » Wanscher died in 1985. Many of Wanscher's works are still produced by Carl Hansen & Son. I am offering for sale a pair of bookcases set on two consoles deep enough to be used as desks if fixed to the wall or placed on the floor. The choice is yours!