Mid Century Executive Desk by Jens Risom (SOLD)
(SOLD) Exceptional craftsmanship and materials in
this Mid-Century Modern executive desk designed by Jens Risom. Solid
walnut interior wood, steel drawer glides and locking drawers with keys
included. A very solid large-scale desk with ample work top space. Back
side is recessed allowing for seating on both sides similar to a partner
desk. Drawers glide smoothly. Beautiful walnut wood grain. Original
finish with mild age appropriate wear. Shipping continental US $195.
JENS RISOM:
Risom was
born in Copenhagen, Denmark, on 8 May 1916. His father was a prominent
architect, Sven Risom, a member of the school of Nordic Classicism.
Risom was trained as a designer at the Copenhagen School of Industrial
Arts and Design (Kunsthåndværkerskolen), where he studied under Ole
Wanscher and Kaare Klint. He was classmates with Hans Wegner and Børge
Mogensen.
Risom spent two years at Niels Brock Copenhagen
Business College, before beginning work as a furniture developer and
interior designer with the architectural firm of Ernst Kuhn. He later
relocated to Stockholm, taking a job with a small architectural firm.
From there he joined the design department of Nordiska Kompaniet where
he was introduced to Alvar Aalto and Bruno Mathsson.
In 1939,
Risom traveled to New York City to study American design. He found it
difficult to find work as a furniture designer in New York, however, and
was forced to accept a number of textile designs that ultimately
secured him freelance work with designer Dan Cooper. This led to his
work being included in the Collier's "House of Ideas" designed by Edward
Durell Stone and constructed in front of Rockefeller Center during the
1939 New York World's Fair.
In 1941, Risom teamed with
entrepreneur Hans Knoll and in 1942, they launched the Hans Knoll
Furniture Company with 15 of the 20 pieces in the inaugural "600" line
designed by Risom. These works included stools, armchairs and lounges,
made from cedar and surplus webbing—works which have since become design
classics.
With the advent of World War II, Risom was drafted
into the United States Army in 1943 and served under General George S.
Patton. After completing his military service, Risom briefly returned to
Knoll in New York, but soon decided to launch his own firm, Jens Risom
Design (JRD), which he launched on 1 May 1946.
Risom's reputation
as a furniture designer continued to grow, and Risom began to promote
Scandinavian design in home furniture to the broader American public. In
the 1950s, JRD ran a series of ads featuring photography by Richard
Avedon and the slogan "The Answer is Risom." The result of this success
was that in 1954, JRD launched a major expansion of its production
facilities. In the late 1950s, JRD shifted its focus away from home
furnishings and towards office furniture, hospital furniture, and
library furniture. In 1961, Risom was one of six furniture designers
featured in a profile in Playboy magazine. One of Risom's executive
office chairs became famous when Lyndon B. Johnson chose to use it in
the Oval Office.
Risom sold JRD to Dictaphone in 1970, after
having run the company for 25 years. Risom stayed on as CEO for 3 years,
and then relocated from New York to New Canaan, Connecticut and
launched a consulting service, Design Control.
Risom died at his home in New Canaan, Connecticut, at the age of 100.
Many
of Risom's furniture designs are considered modern classics, and his
furniture is on display at the Museum of Modern Art, the Yale University
Art Gallery, the Brooklyn Museum, the Rhode Island School of Design
Museum, and the Cooper–Hewitt, National Design Museum. In 1996, Risom
was presented with the Danish Knight's Cross by Margrethe II of Denmark.
Risom was a long-standing trustee of the Rhode Island School of Design.