SNEDKERLAUGETS 39. MØBELUDSTILLING
FURNITURE EXHIBITION
Willy Beck [redaktion]
Willy Beck [redaktion]: SNEDKERLAUGETS 39. MØBELUDSTILLING | FURNITURE EXHIBITION | MØBELAUSSTELLUNG | 15. – 31. OKTOBER 1965. Denmark: Uffe Petersen Schmidt, 1965. First edition. Text in Danish. Square quarto. Photo illustrated wrappers. unpaginated. 57 black-and-white illustrations. Minor shelf wear including rubbing and minor staining. Interior unmarked and very clean. Out-of-print. A very good copy. Uncommon.
8 x 8.75 unpaginated soft cover book with 57 black-and-white illustrations. Printed in conjunction with an exhibition of the same name organized by Robert Roser: SNEDKERLAUGETS 39. MØBELUDSTILLING | FURNITURE EXHIBITION | MØBELAUSSTELLUNG [October 15 – 31, 1965]. Includes a preface by Willy Rasmussen, a foreword by Poul Heltbourg, advertisements by sponsors, and a short piece "The Tea-tray" by Knud Poulsen (the only text, which is in multiple languages—Danish, English, French and German).
Includes work by Eril Ole Jørgensen, L. F. Foght, Aagaard Andersen, Unika Væv A/S, Lis Ahlman and Børge Mogensen, Cotil, Hans Wegner, Johannes Hansen's Møbelsnedkeri, S. Syrach Larsen, Gustav Bertelsen & Co., Knud Juul Hansen, Ole Wanscher, A. J. Iversen, Erik Wörts, Adam Hoff and Poul Østergaard, Virum Møbelsnedkeri, Vilhelm Wohlert, Arne Poulsen, John Vedel-Rieper, Erhard Rasmussen, Eskild Pontoppidan, Ditte and Adrian Heath, Søren Horn, Mogens Koch, Rud. Rasmussen, Kurt Olsen, A. Andersen & Bohm, I Christiansen's Møbelsnedkeri, Povl Christiansen, Rigmor Andersen and Annelise Bjørner, Jørgen Christensen, Povl and Peder Christensen, Bernt, A. Bender Madsen and Ejner Larsen, Jørgen Nilsson, J. H. Johansens Eftf., Henning Jensen, Børge Bak, Arne Carlsen, Virum Møbelsnedkeri, Andreas Hansen, Thorald Madsen's Møbelsnedkeri, Finn Juhl, Niels Vodder, Ib Kofod-Larsen, Christensen & Larsen, Vestergaard Jensen, P. Jensen & Co., Erik Ole Jørgensen, K. Thomsen, and Danske Snedker among many others.
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.”