Danish Modern Between Art and Design

Danish Modern explores the development of mid-century modernist design in Denmark from historical, analytical and theoretical perspectives. Mark Mussari explores the relationship between Danish design aesthetics and the theoretical and cultural impact of Modernism, particularly between 1930 and 1960. He considers how Danish designers responded to early Modernist currents: the Stockholm Exhibition of 1930, their rejection of Bauhaus aesthetic demands, their early fealty to wood and materials, and the tension between cabinetmaker craft and industrial production as it challenged and altered their aesthetic approach. Tracing the theoretical foundations for these developments, Mussari discusses the writings and works of such figures as Poul Henningsen, Arne Jacobsen, Hans Wegner, Nanna Ditzel, and Finn Juhl.

Mark Mussari is an independent scholar, freelance writer, translator and consultant, based in Arizona, USA.

Introduction: Subject and Object
Chapter 1: A History of Ideas: Constructing Danish Modern
Chapter 2: Tradition and / or Modernism: Kaare Klint and Poul Henningsen
Chapter 3: On Chairness: Platonics and Tectonics
Chapter 4: Sculpting Articulations: Finn Juhl in 1949
Chapter 5: Weaving Abstractions: Vibeke Klint and Lis Ahlmann
Chapter 6: Hegelian Reading: Designing Community in the SAS Royal Hotel
Chapter 7: The Happening: Making Modern Contemporary (Again)
Chapter 8: Minimal Connections: Design as Art / Art as Design
Chapter 9: Thematizing Danish Modern: the Arts of Denmark Exhibition
Chapter 10: Viking Bracelets and Steampunk Eggs: Invariance or Timelessness?
Conclusions
Bibliography
Index