At Designmuseum Danmark in Copenhagen, visitors can explore the new permanent exhibition DANISH MODERN, dedicated to the history of Danish design from the 1920s to the 1970s. The exhibition brings together both well-known objects and furniture and lesser-known pieces while tracing how Danish Modern became a global phenomenon and what continues to make it so distinctive and admired today.
The exhibition focuses on some of the most significant Danish designers of the twentieth century, including Børge Mogensen, Verner Panton and Hans J. Wegner. Yet it goes beyond simply presenting their most famous works, seeking instead to explain why a sofa by Mogensen, a lamp by Panton or a chair by Wegner have become symbols of functionality and elegance, and exploring the ideas and cultural context behind their creation.
Danish Modern was never just a style but a practical and aesthetic approach to design. Beneath the simplicity of its forms and the careful use of materials lies a constant effort to create objects that are beautiful, comfortable, durable and suited to everyday life.
The exhibition begins with the work of Kaare Klint, regarded as the founder of modern Danish design, and his Room for a Woman, a space conceived around the practical needs of women’s domestic life.
It continues through the soft, almost sculptural lines of Finn Juhl and arrives at the more experimental, pop-inflected aesthetic of designers like Verner Panton and Nanna Ditzel, who in the 1960s and 1970s introduced psychedelic forms and vivid colors into Danish design, far removed from the minimalist image often associated with Denmark.
The international rise of Danish Modern gained momentum in 1949, when Designmuseum Danmark, then known as the Museum of Decorative Art, hosted the annual exhibition of the Copenhagen Cabinetmakers’ Guild.
Several American journalists visited the show and wrote enthusiastically about how Danish furniture combined beauty, simplicity and comfort, supported by refined craftsmanship and innovative design methods. Those articles marked the beginning of significant commercial growth. In the 1950s and 1960s, traveling exhibitions in the United States and Canada helped bring Danish Modern to a wider audience, transforming it into a recognizable and sought-after brand.
In terms of exhibition design, DANISH MODERN unfolds as a theatrical journey. Rooms are divided by curved walls reminiscent of stage sets, guiding visitors through different periods and atmospheres. Alongside the objects on display are original drawings, photographs, design sketches and personal belongings of the designers, offering deeper insight into their work and the contexts in which they operated.
One of the most striking sections is dedicated to the boldest projects of Verner Panton and Nanna Ditzel: a space lined with mirrors and red carpeting, filled with objects in unexpected forms and vibrant colors, reflecting the variety and energy of Danish design during those years.
One of the most striking features of the exhibition is the so-called Chair Tunnel, a corridor lined with 125 chairs displayed either suspended or arranged from floor to ceiling. Conceived as a kind of family tree, it shows how many shapes in Danish design have roots in historical typologies from other countries, while also highlighting how designers reimagined existing models with new solutions. The installation includes iconic pieces like Hans J. Wegner’s Wishbone Chair and Arne Jacobsen’s Egg Chair, alongside lesser-known designs by both Danish and international figures such as Nanna Ditzel, Cecilie Manz, Charles Eames, Marcel Breuer and Jasper Morrison.
Alongside the most famous names, the exhibition also gives space to designers who are less well-known yet significant in the development of Danish Modern, including Rigmor Andersen, Mogens Koch, Ole Wanscher, Lis Ahlman, Grethe Meyer, Kay Bojesen, Gertrud Vasegaard, Poul Kjærholm, Henning Koppel, Per Lütken, Axel Salto and Poul Henningsen. Each contributed to the vision of Danish design as a balance of aesthetics, function and craftsmanship.
DANISH MODERN is an exhibition that explains why Danish design achieved such global success and why it continues to hold a particular appeal. It also offers a chance to see how, behind seemingly simple objects, lie complex stories of technical research, sensitivity to materials and a desire to make everyday life both more beautiful and more functional.
Exhibition: DANISH MODERN
Where: Designmuseum Danmark, Copenhagen
When: Permanent exhibition opened on 7 June 2024
Website: designmuseum.dk
