Jens Risom
Encyclopedia
Jens Risom is a Danish American furniture designer. An exemplar of Mid-Century modern
design, Risom was one of the first designers to introduce Scandinavian design
in the United States
. Note: "Jens" is pronounced "Yenns", and almost rhymes with "fence".
, Denmark
on May 8, 1916. His father was a prominent architect, Sven Risom
, a member of the school of Nordic Classicism
. Jens 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 Borge Mogensen
. Risom then 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
and gained such a reputation that 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
, armchair
s, 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 May 1, 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.
, 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 is a long-standing trustee
of the Rhode Island School of Design
.
reissued Risom's furniture designs from the 1940s and 1950s.
Two London galleries - Rocket Gallery and Liberty Gallery - launched retrospectives of Risom's work in 2008.
Mid-century modern
Mid-Century modern is an architectural, interior and product design form that generally describes mid-20th century developments in modern design, architecture, and urban development from roughly 1933 to 1965...
design, Risom was one of the first designers to introduce Scandinavian design
Scandinavian Design
Scandinavian design emerged in the 1950s in the three Scandinavian countries , as well as Finland. It is a design movement characterized by simple designs, minimalism, functionality, and low-cost mass production....
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Note: "Jens" is pronounced "Yenns", and almost rhymes with "fence".
Biography
Jens Risom was born in CopenhagenCopenhagen
Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
, Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
on May 8, 1916. His father was a prominent architect, Sven Risom
Sven Risom
Sven Julius Risom was a Danish architect who worked mainly in the style of Nordic Classicism.-Biography:...
, a member of the school of Nordic Classicism
Nordic Classicism
Nordic Classicism was a style of architecture that briefly blossomed in the Nordic countries between 1910 and 1930....
. Jens Risom was trained as a designer at the Copenhagen School of Industrial Arts and Design
Danmarks Designskole
The Danish Design School is an institution of higher education in Copenhagen, Denmark, offering a five-year design education consisting of a three-year bachelor programme and a two-year master in design as well as conducting research within the fields of arts, crafts and design...
(Kunsthåndværkerskolen), where he studied under Ole Wanscher
Ole Wanscher
Ole Wanscher was a Danish furniture designer. He was one of the leading figures in the Scandinavian Design movement , at a time when Scandinavian Design achieved worldwide popularity....
and Kaare Klint. He was classmates with Hans Wegner
Hans Wegner
Hans Jørgen Wegner, , was a successful Danish furniture designer who contributed to the international popularity of mid-century Danish design. His work belongs to a modernist school with emphasis on functionality. He is probably best known for his chairs.-Early years:Born to cobbler Peter M...
and Borge Mogensen
Borge Mogensen
Børge Mogensen , was a Danish furniture designer.He was one of the most important among a generation of furniture designers who made the concept of “Danish design” known throughout the world...
. Risom then 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
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
, taking a job with a small architectural firm. From there he joined the design department of Nordiska Kompaniet
Nordiska Kompaniet
Nordiska Kompaniet is the name of two department stores located in Stockholm and Gothenburg, in Sweden....
and gained such a reputation that he was introduced to Alvar Aalto
Alvar Aalto
Hugo Alvar Henrik Aalto was a Finnish architect and designer. His work includes architecture, furniture, textiles and glassware...
and Bruno Mathsson
Bruno Mathsson
Bruno Mathsson was a Swedish furniture designer and architect with ideas colored by functionalism/modernism, as well as old Swedish crafts tradition. Being the son of a carpenter in the town of Värnamo in the South of Sweden, it was fairly obvious what work the young Bruno would choose...
.
In 1939, Risom traveled to New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
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
Collier's Weekly
Collier's Weekly was an American magazine founded by Peter Fenelon Collier and published from 1888 to 1957. With the passage of decades, the title was shortened to Collier's....
"House of Ideas" designed by Edward Durell Stone
Edward Durell Stone
Edward Durell Stone was a twentieth century American architect who worked primarily in the Modernist style.-Early life:...
and constructed in front of Rockefeller Center
Rockefeller Center
Rockefeller Center is a complex of 19 commercial buildings covering between 48th and 51st streets in New York City, United States. Built by the Rockefeller family, it is located in the center of Midtown Manhattan, spanning the area between Fifth Avenue and Sixth Avenue. It was declared a National...
during the 1939 New York World's Fair
1939 New York World's Fair
The 1939–40 New York World's Fair, which covered the of Flushing Meadows-Corona Park , was the second largest American world's fair of all time, exceeded only by St. Louis's Louisiana Purchase Exposition of 1904. Many countries around the world participated in it, and over 44 million people...
.
In 1941, Risom teamed with entrepreneur Hans Knoll
Hans Knoll
Hans G. Knoll was a German American who, together with his wife, Florence Knoll, founded Knoll, the well known design company and furniture manufacturer.-Biography:...
and in 1942, they launched the Hans Knoll Furniture Company
Knoll (company)
Knoll is a design firm that produces office systems, seating, files and storage, tables and desks, textiles , and accessories for office and for the home. The company also manufactures furniture for the home by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, Harry Bertoia, Florence Knoll , Frank Gehry, Maya Lin and...
with 15 of the 20 pieces in the inaugural "600" line designed by Risom. These works included stools
Chair
A chair is a stable, raised surface used to sit on, commonly for use by one person. Chairs are most often supported by four legs and have a back; however, a chair can have three legs or could have a different shape depending on the criteria of the chair specifications. A chair without a back or...
, armchair
Armchair
An armchair is a chair with arm rests.Armchair may also refer to:*Armchair nanotube, a carbon nanotube with chiral symmetry*Armchair, a sitting sex position*Armchair , a bus operator in London...
s, and lounges, made from cedar
Cedar wood
Cedar wood comes from several different trees that grow in different parts of the world, and may have different uses.* California incense-cedar, from Calocedrus decurrens, is the primary type of wood used for making pencils...
and surplus webbing
Webbing
Webbing is a strong fabric woven as a flat strip or tube of varying width and fibres often used in place of rope. The name webbing comes from the meshed material frequently used in its construction, which resembles a web...
, works which have since become design classics.
With the advent of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Risom was drafted into the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
in 1943 and served under General
General
A general officer is an officer of high military rank, usually in the army, and in some nations, the air force. The term is widely used by many nations of the world, and when a country uses a different term, there is an equivalent title given....
George S. Patton
George S. Patton
George Smith Patton, Jr. was a United States Army officer best known for his leadership while commanding corps and armies as a general during World War II. He was also well known for his eccentricity and controversial outspokenness.Patton was commissioned in the U.S. Army after his graduation from...
. 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 May 1, 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
Richard Avedon
Richard Avedon was an American photographer. An obituary published in The New York Times said that "his fashion and portrait photographs helped define America's image of style, beauty and culture for the last half-century."-Photography career:Avedon was born in New York City to a Jewish Russian...
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
Playboy
Playboy is an American men's magazine that features photographs of nude women as well as journalism and fiction. It was founded in Chicago in 1953 by Hugh Hefner and his associates, and funded in part by a $1,000 loan from Hefner's mother. The magazine has grown into Playboy Enterprises, Inc., with...
magazine. One of Risom's executive office chairs became famous when Lyndon B. Johnson
Lyndon B. Johnson
Lyndon Baines Johnson , often referred to as LBJ, was the 36th President of the United States after his service as the 37th Vice President of the United States...
chose to use it in the Oval Office
Oval Office
The Oval Office, located in the West Wing of the White House, is the official office of the President of the United States.The room features three large south-facing windows behind the president's desk, and a fireplace at the north end...
.
Risom sold JRD to Dictaphone
Dictaphone
Dictaphone was an American company, a producer of dictation machines—sound recording devices most commonly used to record speech for later playback or to be typed into print. The name "Dictaphone" is a trademark, but in some places it has also become a common way to refer to all such devices, and...
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
New Canaan, Connecticut
New Canaan is a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States, northeast of Stamford, on the Fivemile River. The population was 19,738 according to the 2010 census.The town is one of the most affluent communities in the United States...
and launched a consulting service, Design Control.
Honors
Many of Risom's furniture designs are considered modern classics, and his furniture is on display at the Museum of Modern ArtMuseum of Modern Art
The Museum of Modern Art is an art museum in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, on 53rd Street, between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. It has been important in developing and collecting modernist art, and is often identified as the most influential museum of modern art in the world...
, the Yale University Art Gallery
Yale University Art Gallery
The Yale University Art Gallery houses a significant and encyclopedic collection of art in several buildings on the campus of Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut. Although it embraces all cultures and periods, the Gallery possesses especially renowned collections of early Italian painting,...
, the Brooklyn Museum
Brooklyn Museum
The Brooklyn Museum is an encyclopedia art museum located in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. At 560,000 square feet, the museum holds New York City's second largest art collection with roughly 1.5 million works....
, the Rhode Island School of Design Museum
Rhode Island School of Design Museum
Rhode Island School of Design Museum is a prominent art museum in Providence, Rhode Island affiliated with the well-known Rhode Island School of Design...
, and the Cooper–Hewitt, National Design Museum.
In 1996, Risom was presented with the Danish Knight's Cross by Margrethe II of Denmark
Margrethe II of Denmark
Margrethe II is the Queen regnant of the Kingdom of Denmark. In 1972 she became the first female monarch of Denmark since Margaret I, ruler of the Scandinavian countries in 1375-1412 during the Kalmar Union.-Early life:...
.
Risom is a long-standing trustee
Trustee
Trustee is a legal term which, in its broadest sense, can refer to any person who holds property, authority, or a position of trust or responsibility for the benefit of another...
of the Rhode Island School of Design
Rhode Island School of Design
Rhode Island School of Design is a fine arts and design college located in Providence, Rhode Island. It was founded in 1877. Located at the base of College Hill, the RISD campus is contiguous with the Brown University campus. The two institutions share social, academic, and community resources and...
.
Modern Revival
In 1997, KnollKnoll (company)
Knoll is a design firm that produces office systems, seating, files and storage, tables and desks, textiles , and accessories for office and for the home. The company also manufactures furniture for the home by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, Harry Bertoia, Florence Knoll , Frank Gehry, Maya Lin and...
reissued Risom's furniture designs from the 1940s and 1950s.
Two London galleries - Rocket Gallery and Liberty Gallery - launched retrospectives of Risom's work in 2008.
External links
- Jens Risom's Website
- "Fascinating Risom" in Dwell magazine
- Profile at Wallpaper.com (contains gallery of Risom's designs)
- 2010 interview with Risom at qu3stions.com
- Article on Articlesbase.com