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Series 7 Chair

Introduced in 1955 by Danish architect Arne Jacobsen, the highly recognizable silhouette of Series 7 remains a popular choice among interior designers and architects today in contract and residential applications.

DESIGNER | Arne Jacobsen, 1955

Series 7 Chair

H 31″
W 20.5″
D 20″

Introduced in 1955 by Danish architect Arne Jacobsen, the highly recognizable silhouette of Series 7 remains a popular choice among interior designers and architects today in contract and residential applications.

Although most of Jacobsen’s designs were intended for architectural projects, Series 7 was the only chair of Jacobsen’s that was not. It arose from experimentation aimed at making a seat from a single piece of plywood, inspired by Charles and Ray Eames’ idea for such a chair as well as Jacobsen’s own Ant chair introduced in 1952.

Series 7 is thought to be the most copied chair from the 20th century and, in fact, one such copy is in the Victoria & Albert Museum in London on loan from the American Friends of the V&A. The knock-off of Jacobsen’s chair was the singular prop in a photograph of a young would-be model, Christine Keeler, who had brief affairs during the Cold War with the British Secretary of State for War, John Profumo, as well as a suspected Soviet spy, Eugene Ivanov. Profumo finally resigned in disgrace. The photo of Keeler was made to promote a potential movie about the scandal. By posing her straddling the chair backward, Morley could artfully photograph Keeler nude without exposing her torso. The photograph is now a British icon of the 1960s.

Arne Jacobsen

Arne Jacobsen (1902-1971) was born and died in Copenhagen, Denmark. A pioneer of Danish industrial style, Jacobsen attended the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts and followed the functional designs of Ludwig Mies Van de Rohe and Le Corbusier.

The elegant modernism and free-form shapes that characterize Jacobsen’s designs continue to inspire contemporary design.

Series 7 Chair  | c.1955

Manufacturer

Original: Fritz Hansen | Denmark
Current: Fritz Hansen | Denmark

Build

Dimensions: 20.5″W x 20″D x 31″H
Material: moulded veneer seat, metal legs