26 April–23 September 2012
Daelim Museum
35-1 Tongui-dong
Jongno-gu, Seoul
110-040, Korea
T 82 2 720 0667
F 82 2 720 0665
Daelim Museum is pleased to present The 100th anniversary of Finn Juhl’s birth which introduces design works by Finn Juhl (1912–1989), a representative figure of Danish furniture design. The exhibition is filled with collections from the world-renowned chair collector Oda Noritsugu (1946– ) and highlights works of Juhl, which have emerged as a much sought-after lifestyle trend in Korea. Daelim Museum is trying to discover highly artistic works within our daily life and informs their values through exhibitions. Therefore, this exhibition will focus on furniture design, which is the most familiar item in our living environment, following the exhibition Less and More – the Design Ethos of Dieter Rams in 2010.
Finn Juhl – Danish modern master and key figure in Scandinavian Design
Over the past few years, Scandinavian design has gained much popularity among trendsetters in Korea. Daelim Museum exhibits some of the most famous works of Finn Juhl for the first time in Korea, who is a Danish design icon and key figure in Scandinavian furniture design.
Juhl was a self-taught furniture designer as he had trained as an architect. He mostly designed pieces intended for himself in the beginning. In contrast to his contemporaries, he is known to have been against mass production. Like other modernistic pioneers, Juhl had been heavily criticized as creating odd and complicated furniture at first but soon became known for his unusual and sculptural style of craftsmanship. As a designer who provoked traditional Danish furniture design, he had a great influence on the following generations of Scandinavian and the world’s furniture designs. Especially his elegantly smooth and subdued pieces between 1940s and 1960s have inspired major commercial furniture makers for many years.
Provides hands-on experience by taking photos and sitting on Juhl’s invaluable chair
At this retrospective exhibition, visitors will be able to see some of Juhl’s most well-known chairs as well as his tableware, lamps, and other furniture. Particularly, the Easy chair No-45 designed in 1945 has been named the “mother of all modern chairs” and praised as a masterpiece in the history of modern contemporary chair design. The Chieftain Chair became famous after former King of Denmark, King Frederik IX, sat on it at Juhl’s previous exhibition. The museum also shows video clips, design drawings, and photos peeking into the designer’s home and studio. Works by several other designers who are contemporaries of Juhl are also exhibited to give visitors an overall view of Scandinavian design. In addition, the museum provides hands-on experience to visitors; they are able to sit on Juhl’s invaluable chair from a collection of famous art museums around the world and take photos of/on it. Photos are taken with a special camera installed in the experience zone, and visitors can download from the museum’s website.
New exhibition style, new stories each month
In a dedicated space at the museum, some of his famous designs will be displayed differently under different themes each month—a new exhibition style experimented for the first time in Korea—allowing visitors to understand furniture is not just a decorative product but an artwork in itself that brings life to our living space.
Daelim Museum- In everyday life
Daelim Museum strives to increase enjoyment of art in everyday life by discovering the value and highlighting the appeal of objects that are habitually overlooked. The museum opened in Seoul Tongui-dong in 2002 and celebrates its 10th anniversary this year. Since it began with photography exhibitions, it broadened its scope to fashion, illustration, and design. Since 2011, Daelim Museum tries to increase public interest in art by searching for and organizing exhibitions, featuring creators such as Paul Smith, Dieter Rams, and Juergen Teller.
