A VISION BROUGHT TO LIFE
Fritz Hansen is pleased to announce the launch of the PK23 lounge chair by Poul Kjærholm, a sculptural and radical expression of moulded plywood with a double shell seat and crafted metal detailing. Designed in 1954 when the 25 year old Dane was exploring plywood and industrial techniques, the PK23 is a precursor to the steel pieces for which Kjærholm (1929-1980) became renowned.
For Fritz Hansen and the late designer’s family, the PK23 represents an untold story of a more democratic and accessible facet of Kjærholm’s oeuvre. A ground-breaking design from his early career that bears the mark of the master, with its linear contour, floating structure on a simple frame, precise detailing, and radical treatment of plywood.
“Launching the PK23 pays homage to part of Poul’s design life that was just forgotten in a way,” says Christian Andresen, Design Director, Fritz Hansen. “For a long time Poul Kjærholm has been renowned for this immaculate steel furniture, a body of work that was exclusive and rarefied almost. Now, together with his children, we realise there is an untold Kjærholm story of these more democratic or maybe more ‘in time’ products that could have been as enduring if they had had the chance.”
The early 1950s was a period of great creativity for Poul Kjærholm. Recently graduated and experimenting with a variety of materials and methods, he was keen to ride the zeitgeist of that time. Prodigiously talented, Kjærholm outlined his design principles in the influential Danish design magazine Mobilia in 1955, including the PK23 as one of four case studies.
With this chair Kjærholm saw an opportunity for industrial production in tandem with Fritz Hansen, a leader in innovative moulded plywood and bent steel. But it was not to be. Very little of Kjærholm’s early work was realised. In the mid-50s, after he went into partnership with the furniture merchant Ejvind Kold Christensen, he translated his fascination for furniture made from precisely calibrated steel into resounding success.
Based on Kjærholm’s drawings, the PK23 was first produced as an exhibition piece for a major retrospective of his work at Denmark’s Louisiana Museum of Modern Art in 2006. Kjærholm’s wife, the architect Hanne, collaborated with Fritz Hansen to translate his ideas into one exhibition chair. To put that prototype into production Fritz Hansen worked with Kjærholm’s children, Thomas and Krestine, making critical small adjustments but remaining true to the original design.
The PK23 marries the distinct heritage of Fritz Hansen of refinement and simplicity with a contemporary sensibility and relevance. An informal low-slung, elegant and comfortable lounge chair, it suits modern ways of living, working, and relaxing.
“I consider it a beautiful, slim, modern lounge chair very much in tune with our times that you can have at home as a freestanding piece. The airiness and the simplicity, along with an accessible price and robust nature, also make it perfect for many environments outside residential,” says Andresen.
For Kjærholm’s children, the PK23 represents an homage to another side of their father’s body of work, with a different language or typology than his most famous pieces yet still with characteristics that are pure Poul Kjærholm.
“The radical design of making a shell, cutting it in half and then twisting it, so that it holds you, is very much in the Poul Kjærholm idiom. Also showing everything, not hiding the structure behind upholstery or foam, and the way it is held together with the metal bracket,” says son Thomas Kjærholm. “The chair is like a sculpture, I have a very early drawing from behind where he drew a red circle that is either the sun or the moon.”
The PK23 is a significant development in managing the legacy of Poul Kjærholm through the Kjærholm Collection, entrusted by his family to Fritz Hansen since 1982. “At Fritz Hansen we have been very protective of the Kjærholm legacy, with a desire to keep a certain boundary around the collection. Now we have started to broaden it and show that he was indeed a more -multi-faceted designer than how we have presented him,” says Andresen.
Thomas Kjærholm echoes his sentiments. “We admire Fritz Hansen’s respect for the legacy, and their love for the classic pieces, but also their interest in what else Poul Kjærholm did, getting more pieces into the collection,” he says.
The PK23 will be available in four variants, oak and walnut veneer with stainless steel legs and black ash with stainless steel or black PC legs.
More design by Poul Kjaerholm:
Introducing the PK23™ lounge chair by Poul Kjærholm-a sculptural masterpiece in moulded plywood – Fritz Hansen
A VISION BROUGHT TO LIFE Fritz Hansen is pleased to announce the launch of the …
Admire the striking new PK23 armchair from Poul Kjærholm, presented for the very first time @ 3daysofdesign by Fritz Hansen
In a dedicated area, the spotlight was turned on the masterpieces of Poul Kjærholm – …
Poul Kjaerholm exhibition Natural Simplicity @ Dansk Møbelkunst Gallery
17 NOVEMBER – 20 DECEMBER 2023 Poul Kjærholm (1929-1980) was born in Øster Vrå, a …
Introducing the PK15 chair: A masterpiece of woodworking craftsmanship by Poul Kjaerholm – Fritz Hansen
Fritz Hansen is proud to introduce the PK15 chair by Poul Kjærholm, the last chair …
PK22 & PK33 Special Edition by Poul Kjaerholm – Fritz Hansen
PK22 & PK33 SPECIAL EDITION The PK22™ chair exemplifies Poul Kjærholm’s vision for the ideal …
Now, the iconic chair PK1 is available in steel and woven paper cord and scaled up by 6% by Poul Kjærholm – Carl Hansen & Søn
The internationally revered architect Poul Kjærholm is one of the biggest names in Danish furniture …
Announcing the launch of Fauske marble tabletops for the Kjærholm collection – Fritz Hansen
This spring, Fritz Hansen is pleased to introduce Fauske marble as a new material option …
PK4™ – a modern and relaxed lounge chair by Poul Kjærholm – Fritz Hansen
PK4™ – LAIDBACK LOUNGING This spring, Fritz Hansen is pleased to present the PK4, completing …
FOREVER NEW – Proudly introducing the new Fritz Hansen Anniversary Collection
How do you introduce something that needs no introduction?To commemorate Fritz Hansen’s first 150 years, …
Fritz Hansen introduces the PK0 A™, an icon of modernist design, during its 150-year anniversary celebrations
Poul Kjærholm’s one-of-a-kind PK0 chair was designed in 1952, at the very beginning of the …
Fritz Hansen launches Poul Kjærholm’s seminal coffee table, the PK60
A work of applied art, decorative and functional, Poul Kjærholm’s PK60™ is a significant piece …
PK54™ new marble – Fritz Hansen
MAJESTIC MARBLES The PK54™ dining table and the PK61™ coffee table are among the most …
PK80™ Daybed celebrates its 60th anniversary
Poul Kjærholm’s sculptural PK80™ Daybed celebrates its 60th anniversary One of the most iconic furniture …
PK22™ – Republic of Fritz Hansen™
POUL KJÆRHOLM The man behind masterpieces like the PK22™ had a fascination for steel and …
Celebrating the Master of ”Less is More” – Poul Kjærholm
Two of modernism’s most iconic pieces of furniture – the PK22™ lounge chair and the …
Poul Kjaerholm @ Jacksons Berlin – 30/4–30/7 2016
Jacksons Berlin is pleased to announce our 2016 Summer Exhibition, showcasing works by Danish furniture …
PK80 and PK91 in limited edition with Kvadrat/Raf Simons
Fritz Hansen launches fashionable, limited editions from the Poul Kjærholm Collection with Kvadrat/Raf Simons upholstery …
PK80 & PK33 in Canvas design by Poul Kjærholm – Fritz Hansen
Introducing PK80 and PK33 in Canvas For the first time, Fritz Hansen now introduces the …