Ole Wanscher

Ole Wanscher was a student of Kaare Klint at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts and took away a sense of rational beauty from his teachings.  Wanscher was also greatly influenced by his father, who was a scholar of the history of fine arts.  From this, he gained an interest in the history of furniture design, most particularly of Egypt, Greece, China, and 18th c. England.  These influences can be seen in the elegant curves, cantilevered seats, and the ladder-back chairs.  Wanscher favored natural materials and natural color combinations, sometimes using woven horsehair seats, which are said to last a hundred years.  His designs have an elegant simplicity, relying on the innate beauty of high quality materials and the fluid lines he formed.  He had the enchanting ability to make nontraditional forms, like cantilevered seats, seem natural yet intriguing in relation to the accepted construction methods.  This is a testament to his exceptional faculty as a craftsman.