Lauded for his distinctive style of furniture design, Poul Kjaerholm was born in Øster Vrå, Denmark in 1929. His pieces are considered to contain a minimalist yet articulate form, all embossed with that signature style that continues to be celebrated worldwide to this day.
With the humble beginning as a cabinetmaker's apprentice with the firm Gronbech in 1948, Kjaerholm went on to forge his design ideology at the Danish School of Arts and Crafts in Copenhagen. Shirking away from the majority of his Scandinavian counterparts, the Dane chose steel as his primary material of choice over wood. "Steel’s constructive potential is not the only thing that interests me, the refraction of light on its surface is an important part of my artistic work.”
Awarded the prestigious Lunning Award and Grand Prize at the Milan Trennali in 1958 and 1960 respectively; Kjaerholm’s designs continue to be included in the permanent collections of the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Victoria and Albert Museum in London and within numerous other museums across Denmark, Norway, Sweden and Germany.
Poul Kjærholm (1929-1980)