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Wishbone Chair

Designer Hans J. Wegner Danish
Designed 1949; manufactured ca. 1950–79
Not on view
The Wishbone Chair continues to be Hans Wegner’s greatest commercial success among the many excellent chairs he designed over his career. In 1944, Wegner began designing a series of chairs based on portraits of Danish merchants seated in Ming Dynasty chairs. The Wishbone was the last of the series, designed in 1949. In 1950, Wegner started his partnership with manufacturer Carl Hansen & Søn to produce this chair, which has been in continuous production to the same design standards ever since. The chair is an icon of the high quality craftsmanship, attention to detail and construction, generous proportions, comfort, and texturally pleasing materials that contribute to the perception of Scandinavian design as particularly human-centered, modest, and well made.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Wishbone Chair
  • Designer: Hans J. Wegner (Danish, Tønder 1914–2007 Copenhagen)
  • Manufacturer: Carl Hansen & Søn, Gelsted, Denmark
  • Date: Designed 1949; manufactured ca. 1950–79
  • Medium: Beech wood and paper cord
  • Dimensions: 28 1/2 × 22 1/2 × 20 1/8 in. (72.4 × 57.2 × 51.1 cm)
  • Classification: Furniture
  • Credit Line: Gift of R. Craig Miller, in honor of James C. Klosterman, 2017
  • Object Number: 2017.454
  • Curatorial Department: Modern and Contemporary Art

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