Our May 2017 Auction is led by a selection of outstanding design. Here’s few hand-picked items, including Arne Jacobsen, Yrjö Kukkapuro and Bruno Mathsson. Catalogue will be published 5th of May on our website www.helander.com.
Items 1-3 and 110-116 / Arne Jacobsen
Arne Jacobsen (11th of February 1902 – 24th of March 1971) was internationally known Danish designer and architect. Being an designer wasn´t Jacobsen’s first career choice in his early life, he wanted to be a painter. Fortunately for us his dad convinced him that the architect school was the best choice for him. In 1927 Jacobsen graduated from Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts. Nowadays he is mostly known for his simple but stylish chairs, like ”Ant”, ”Series 7” and ”Egg” chairs, so his dad kicked him in to the right direction.
Jacobsen had many sides in his personality; sometimes he could be difficult so he didn´t make any compromises toward his partners and manufacturers. His other side was humoristic; he would play the clown/comedian, like wearing a hollowed-out melon for a hat.
Jacobsen was also famous architect that designed many buildings in his lifetime, just to mention few Aarhus City Hall, Bellevue Theatre and SAS Royal hotel. Jacobsen died so unexpectedly that he left few uncompleted works behind him like National Bank of Denmark and Mainz City Hall in Germany.
We have one Egg –chair and some Ant –chairs in our May auction. The Egg –chair doesn´t need any introduction, it is one of the most well know design chairs in the world! The Ant chair is a classic of mid century modern. The name ”Ant” came from the chairs silhouette, which resembles an ant with its head raised. I have to admit that I didn´t see the similarity to an ant until I heard that its head is raised. Jacobsen wanted to make this chair to be light, stable and easy to stack up. Originally ”Ants” legs where made from plastic, and it had three legs. Nowadays they make also four leg versions.
Arne Jacobsen lots will be auctioned in our May Auction, which will be held on the 13th and 14th of May. Ant –chairs will be lots 1-2 and 110-116 (pictures below). Egg –chair will be lot 3.(picture on the top right).
Item 160 / Yrjö Kukkapuro / Karuselli
Yrjö Kukkapuro (6th of April 1933 Vyborg -) is one of the best-known Finnish designers. He has designed furniture since the late 1950s. He graduated in 1958 as an interior architect, and he found his own design office in 1959. In addition to furniture design, he has worked as a professor at The School of Arts, Design and Architecture in 1970s. Yrjö Kukkapuro spent a lot of fiberglass and plastic in his furniture, this is one big difference between him and the other Finnish designers at that time. Kukkapuro has also designed lighting fixtures for example to the Milan Triennale in 1968 and the Chinese community center in 2000s.
Kukkapuro´s design often divide people’s opinions, because they look really different than anything else on the market, that´s why his design style is never really trending. I like his style, because if you take too much influenced from another designers, your furniture won´t look like you, they will just look like a copy from someone else’s work.
In the late 1990s and 2000s Kukkapuro has cooperated a lot with the Chinese, as he was one of the design experts on the UNESCO´s bamboo project. As a result he designed the Bamboo collection that includes a sofa, a variety of tables, cabinets, shelves and office chairs. This collection is on sale in the Chinese market. He has also designed a small collection for Chinese carpenter Yin, as well as lectured in ten different Chinese universities.
Internationally Karuselli is one of the best-known Finnish design chairs. Kukkapuro started to design this chair in the late 1950s, but lauched it in Cologne´s fair in 1965. Museums around the world have taken it in their collection, including The Museum of Modern Art in New York and The Victoria and Albert Museum in London.
This Karuselli –chair has some defects in the upholstery but not anything huge. Karuselli will be auctioned in our May Auction, which will be held on the 13th and 14th of May with a lot number 160. (Picture below).
Item 761 / Bruno Mathsson / Easy Chair / Pernilla 3.
Bruno Mathsson (13th of January 1907 – 17th of August 1988) was a Swedish furniture designer and architect. He lived and died in Värnamo, which is a small town in southern parts of Sweden. Mathsson´s breakthrough happened in 1936, when he got the opportunity to exhibit his furniture at the Röhsska Museum. Immediately after the Exhibition in the Röhsska Museum he got invited to attend the World Exhibition in Paris in 1937.
Mathsson continued to design furniture during the World War 2. During this time he developed Pernilla -series (Pernilla, Pernilla 2 and Pernilla 3). Pernilla 3 –chair will be auctioned in our May Auction, which will be held on the 13th and 14th of May with a lot number 761. (Picture on the right).
Item 4 / Hans Agne Jakobsson / 1960s-1970s
height 140 cm / diameter around 230 cm.
Item 204: Tapio Wirkkala, Kanttarelli, IITTALA, h 13,5 cm.
Item 118: Karl Erik Ekselius, plate JOC, AB J. O. CARLSSONS, MÖBELINDUSTRI, VETLANDA-SWEDEN, h 53 cm w 128 cm d 61 cm.
Item 762: Alvar Aalto, Easy Chair, no. 401.
These design items and much more in our May 2017 Auction. Catalogue has been published on our website www.helander.com.
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May 2017 Auction will be held on the 13th and 14th of May. Read More on how to Bid, or check out the Auction schedule!
