On the occasion of the American vs Brazilian vs Scandinavian Design auction on Wednesday 19 June 2019, the Swedish designer Hans Agne Jakobsson was featured.
Hans Agne Jakobsson was born in Hvadhem on the island of Gotland in Sweden. He first trained as a carpenter and then studied architecture in Gothenburg, which enabled him to join the industrial design department at General Motors.Very quickly, his passion for wood caught up and he turned towards more traditional creations. He thus became the collaborator of famous designers such as Carl Malmsten or the very radical Werner West. From these years of learning came a deep passion for light, subtlety and the magic of lighting. Settled in 1950 in Markaryd in southern Sweden, he offers his creations in his shop in the city centre.
The anecdote tells that one Christmas evening, finding his space too dark, he urgently created a pine suspension. His success was such that in 1951 he decided to found his own company Hans-Agne Jakobsson A/B.
Lot 221 - Hans-Agne Jakobsson (1919-2009)
B-54 Model
Table lamp
Teck, métal laqué et laiton
Edition Hans-Agne Jakobsson AB
Etiquette de l'éditeur
Gravée ‘HAJ B-54’
Date de création : vers 1950
H 62 × L 55,5 × P 19 cm
The Markaryd region is a region bordered by lakes and dark woods. Jakobsson is not directly inspired by nature but by the very special atmosphere that emerges from these landscapes, where light seems to be in perpetual conflict with night. Influenced by modernism, he also took an early interest in the new materials that appeared in the 1950s. Brass is a particular passion for him. He naturally combines it with glass to create models, the most monumental of which will adorn public buildings, concert halls or churches. However, he did not forget the interiors of his contemporaries and created many lamps, lampposts or wall lamps whose borders were only the limits of his imagination. In the mid-1960s, brass and silk yarn models were introduced, which were extremely successful and propelled Jakobsson among the most influential designers of his generation. The teak, metal and brass table lamp presented at this sale is representative of the designer's refined and elegant style.
The work of another great creator, the Danish Poul Henningsen several of whose pieces also presented during this auction just as the "Piano" table lamp model, also enthuses him. Its influence directs it towards luminaires that diffuse indirect light - the brass structure covering the lighting system. They are undoubtedly among his most accomplished works, indirect lighting structuring the space and transforming the lamp into a sculpture. He will continue his research on this principle throughout his life. A prolific creator, he designs and publishes more than 2000 models over fifty years. This unique work has attracted a very large audience and its aura has greatly contributed to the global success of Scandinavian Design.
