CONTEMPORARY DANISH DESIGN
IN TEXTILES AND FURNITURE
The American Federation of the Arts
[The American Federation of the Arts]: CONTEMPORARY DANISH DESIGN IN TEXTILES AND FURNITURE. New York City: The American Federation of the Arts, 1957. First edition. Slim quarto. Printed stapled wrappers. 28 pp. 6 black-and-white illustration. Includes separate 8-page Exhibition prospectus. Minor shelf wear including curling covers due to the use of heavy glossy stock and slight foxing on FEPS plus a near-fine minus staple-bound prospectus for the exhibit with very little shelf wear. Interior unmarked and very clean. Out-of-print. Design by Arne Andersen. A very good to nearly fine set. Rare.
5.75" x 8.25" staple-bound booklet with 28 pages and 6 black-and-white illustrations plus an 8.25" x 6" staple-bound pamphlet with 8 pages showcasing the exhibit and its attendant publicity. The booklet was published in conjunction with the original showing of the exhibit: De Young Memorial Museum, San Francisco [December 7, 1957 – January 5, 1958]. Includes an introduction by Bent Salicath and a list of the 107 items in the exhibit including upholstery fabrics, decoration fabrics, carpets, table-cloth, hand-made textiles, and furniture. The pamphlet was published to promote the exhibit to museums.
The exhibit was organized by The American Federation of the Arts, The Consulate General of Denmark, New York, The Consulate General of Denmark, San Francisco, and The Federation of Danish Textile Industries, Copenhagen.
The exhibition installations were planned and designed by: Danish Architect Torben Strandgaard, San Francisco, assisted by Vice-Consul Jørgen Mogensen.
The Selection of Textiles was made by a Danish Jury of Designers and Artists including Mr. Bent Salicath, Managing Director of the Danish Society of Arts and Crafts and Industrial Design, Mr. Erik Herløw, Architect, and Mrs. Ruth Hull, Artist.
The Exhibition, which is the largest selection of Danish textiles ever shown in the United States, was first shown at the De Young Memorial Museum in San Francisco in the winter of 1957–1958.
Features work by Børge Mogensen Nanna & Jørgen Ditzel, Hans J. Wegner, Ruth Hull, etc. Designers and manufacturers listed in the booklet include Vibeke Klint, Franka Rasmussen, Lis Ahlmann, Den blå Fabrik, Lise Plum, Paula Trock, Jutta Bogh Larsen, Marie Gudme Leth, Tusta Wefring, Ruth Hull, Hagen & Strandgaard, Pacific Overseas Inc., Svend Wohlert Inc., Bengt and Ellen Rickberg, S. Christian of Copenhagen, and Frederik Lunning Inc.
In 1954 the four Scandinavian countries, Denmark, Sweden, Norway and Finland arranged what proved to be the most important marketing effort ever for Scandinavian design—the monumental exhibition Design in Scandinavia. From 1954 to 1957 Design in Scandinavia toured the United States and Canada. The exhibition was presented in 27 cities, and it was a huge success, initiated by The Danish Society of Arts and Crafts and its sister organizations in the other participating countries.
Based on the success the four countries established what they called the Scandinavian Design Cavalcade, which had a lot of US press coverage as well. In that connection the July 1959 issue of House Beautiful was centered around The Scandinavian Look in U.S. Homes, and it was Denmark and Danish Design in particular that the magazine focussed on. Besides the editorial pages, the numerous ads illustrates that Danish modern furniture was increasingly gaining a stronghold among certain groups of American consumers.
Importers and retail chains like John Stuart Inc., George Tanier, Raynor and Dunbar etc. now sold Danish modern furniture in the US, and by now it was not only hand crafted furniture from the Copenhagen Cabinetmakers’ Guild Exhibitions but also pieces from industrial furniture producers like Fritz Hansen, Søborg Møbelfabrik, Fredericia Furniture and many others. From the end of the 1950s Danish Department stores and other retailers produced comprehensive brochures and booklets in English with prices in US Dollars presenting Danish Design to American and other tourists.
Without exception, these stores all presented the narrative of Danish modern. “Denmark is known all over the world for its exquisite home furnishing, which are characterized by their outstanding design and superb craftsmanship” the department store Magasin claimed in its brochure “Danish Design.”