As part of the Scandinavian design auction organized by PIASA on Thursday, March 4, 2021, the auction house is offering collectors several pieces by Danish designer Poul Henningsen.
Nicknamed PH after his initials, Poul Henningsen, Danish writer and architect, was an emblematic figure in the cultural life of his country during the interwar period. Between 1911 and 1917, he trained as an architect without obtaining his diploma. He was mainly interested in one of the most important technological innovations of the 20th century: the electric lamp. He will almost scientifically elaborate lamps with soft and comfortable lighting that are close to natural light.
He imagines a suspension with three lampshades. This is the first lamp of his "System PH" series that he will later produce in different models, either wall or floor lamps. He presents them in Paris in 1925 at the International Exhibition of Modern Decorative and Industrial Arts. They won the gold medal there.
Poul Henningsen (1894-1967)
Model n°PH-2/2, 'Vintergækken'
Estimate: 10000 / 15000 €
His PH lamps are encircled by several metal or glass lampshades acting as reflectors. Thus, the light source is masked whatever the bridge of sight.
The model " PH 5/3 " is a table lamp made around 1927. Made of brass and lacquered metal, this piece, offered for sale with an estimate between 12 000 and 18 000 euros, offers a brilliant illustration of the aerial aesthetics of its author. A significant milestone in the history of Scandinavian design, Poul Henningsen's luminaries became, from the second half of the century, a true icon of modernity
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Poul Henningsen (1894-1967)
Model n°PH 5/3
Estimate :12000 / 18000 €
The "Model PH 5/3" suspension lamp, known as the Basket Chandelier, designed at the beginning of the 1930s, bears witness to a successful combination of metal - here brass - and opaline glass. Its low estimate is established at 12 000 euros.
Parallel to his activities as a designer, Poul Henningsen, from the mid-1920s, followed a literary career. He edited the magazine Kritisk Revy ("Critical Examination") through which he built a critique of the old style and conservatism in artistic creation. In Hvad med Kulturen? ("What about Culture?"), published in 1933, Poul Henningsen, as a companion of communism, establishes links between the arts and politics while contributing to antifascist thinking.
