Wegner became a designer after an apprenticeship to a cabinetmaker and work as a sculptor. He famously stated, "A chair is only finished when someone sits in it." Of the three hundred chairs he designed in his lifetime, this one became known as "the chair." With its strong zigzag joints, gently curved arms and back, and hand-woven cane seat, this iconic work exemplifies the leading Danish designer's craft sensibility and dedication to wood, his favorite material. During the first nationally televised United States presidential debate in 1960, Richard Nixon and John F. Kennedy each sat in one of these armchairs.

Gallery label from

What Was Good Design? MoMA's Message 1944–56, May 6, 2009–January 10, 2011.

Manufacturer Manufactured byJohannes Hansen, Denmark
Medium Oak and cane
Dimensions 30 x 24 5/8 x 21 1/4" (76.2 x 62.5 x 54 cm), seat h. 17" (43.2 cm)
Credit Gift of Georg Jensen, Inc.
Object number 486.1953
Department Architecture & Design

Explore more

All works by Hans Wegner →

From MoMA Design Store

Installation views

We have identified this work in the following photos from our exhibition history.

How we identified these works
In 2018–19, MoMA collaborated with Google Arts & Culture Lab on a project using machine learning to identify artworks in installation photos. That project has concluded, and works are now being identified by MoMA staff.

If you notice an error, please contact us at [email protected].
Licensing
To reproduce installation views, please contact Art Resource (publication in North America) or Scala Archives (publication in all other geographic locations). You will need to include the object identification number found in the caption.
Feedback
This record is a work in progress. If you have additional information or spotted an error, please send feedback to [email protected].

Licensing

Artwork or archival images

If you would like to reproduce an image of a work of art in MoMA's collection, or an image of a MoMA publication or archival material (including installation views, checklists, and press releases), please contact Art Resource (publication in North America) or Scala Archives (publication in all other geographic locations).

Audio and film clips

MoMA licenses archival audio and select out of copyright film clips from our film collection. At this time, MoMA produced video cannot be licensed by MoMA/Scala. All requests to license archival audio or out of copyright film clips should be addressed to Scala Archives at [email protected]. Motion picture film stills cannot be licensed by MoMA/Scala. For access to motion picture film stills for research purposes, please contact the Film Study Center at [email protected]. For more information about film loans and our Circulating Film and Video Library, please visit Circulating Film and Video Library.

Text from a publication or the archives

If you would like to reproduce text from a MoMA publication, please email [email protected]. If you would like to publish text from MoMA's archival materials, please fill out this permission form and send to [email protected].

Feedback

This record is a work in progress. If you have additional information or spotted an error, please fill out this feedback form.