Kaare Klint was a Danish architect and furniture designer, known as the father of modern Danish furniture design. He was born in Copenhagen on December 15, 1888, and died there on March 28, 1954. Klint's style was epitomized by clean, pure lines, use of the best materials of his time, and superb craftsmanship. He was also a leading exponent of ergonomics.
Klint was the son of the equally influential architect Peder Vilhelm Jensen-Klint, whose monumental Grundtvig's Church he completed after his father's death in 1930. Klint apprenticed as a furniture maker in Kalundborg and Copenhagen from 1893 and took classes at technical school in Copenhagen, Jens Møller-Jensens furniture school, and the Artists' Studio Schools under Johan Rohde. He was then articled to Carl Petersen and was also taught the architectural trade by his father, who had completed his first architectural project in 1896.
In 1914,
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Klint designed the Faaborg Chair, which is considered to be one of the first truly modern Danish chairs. It was followed by a series of other iconic designs, including the Safari Chair (1933), the Red Chair (1933), and the Church Chair (1936).
In 1924, Klint helped establish the Department of Furniture Design at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts, where he became the first professor. He taught at the academy for the rest of his life, and his students included some of the most famous Danish furniture designers of the 20th century, such as Børge Mogensen, Arne Jacobsen, and Hans J. Wegner. Klint's work had a profound influence on the development of modern Danish furniture design. His emphasis on simplicity, functionality, and quality helped to create the Danish Modern style, which is still admired and imitated today.
Klint was also a gifted architect, and he designed a number of notable buildings in Denmark, including the Grundtvig's Church, the Bethlehem Church, and the Danish Pavilion at the 1929 Barcelona International Exposition.
Klint received numerous awards for his work, including the Eckersberg Medal (1928), the C.F. Hansen Medal (1954), and the honorary title of Royal Designer for Industry (1949).
Klint's work is still highly sought-after, and his furniture designs are produced by a number of leading manufacturers, including Carl Hansen & Søn, Fredericia, and Rud Rasmussen.
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