UTO Chair attributed to Axel Einar Hjorth for Nordiska Kompaniet, 1930

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Axel Einar Hjort 1888 - 1959
Although he never graduated, in the 1920s Hjorth started working as a furniture designer … Read more Axel Einar Hjort 1888 - 1959
Although he never graduated, in the 1920s Hjorth started working as a furniture designer for various manufacturers.
The anniversary exhibition of 1923 in Gothenburg - which marked the breakthrough of Swedish decorative arts - as well as the 1927 exhibition of the Contemporary Swedish Decorative Arts at the Metropolitan Museum in New York (together with Carl Malmsten and Carl Hörvik) made Axel Einar Hjorth a well-respected artist, and to a large extent, part of the international success of Swedish design.
For October 1927, Hjorth acted as the chief designer/architect of the Nordiska Kompaniet department store in Stockholm, which was one of the major manufacturers of modern furniture in Sweden. He left Nordiska Kompaniet in 1938 in order to start his own business.
In the 1930s, Hjorth designed a furniture collection out of pine meant for serial production known as Sportstugemöbler (furniture for holiday houses). The collection is based on Swedish rural traditions mixed with international modernism, and has its pieces named after Stockholm’s islands including Blidö, Sandhamn, Toro and Lovö. The pieces are renowned for their modern look, displaying strong propor- tions, simplicity in construction, and a brilliant union between traditi- on and modernism.
He often incorporated playful ornamentation from different histori- cal periods by which he was inspired, such as the French Art Déco, using mixed exotic woods, bright colours, and textiles.
He was often overlooked by the lack of published and archived works. He remained a rather unknown entity in the design world and his achievements were under-appreciated. Today Hjorth is often viewed as a precursor to the modern designs popularized by Char- lotte Perriand, Jean Royére, Pierre Chapo, or Josef Frank. This piece is attributed to the mentioned designer/maker. It has no attribution mark and no
official proof of authenticity,
however it is well documented in design history. I take full responsibility for any authenticity



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