Rare Restored Danish Mid-Century Modern High-Back Lounge Chair in Beech, Velour & Brass Attributed to Dan Johnson for Selig, Denmark, C. 1950s

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Introducing a newly restored high-back angular lounge chair designed by Dan Johnson for Selig and manufactured in Denmark during the … Read more Introducing a newly restored high-back angular lounge chair designed by Dan Johnson for Selig and manufactured in Denmark during the mid-1950’s. Featuring a beautifully carved solid beechwood frame with five slats accentuating the high-back with curvilinear legs and arms that create an altogether elegant structure. The upholstery has been redone in a fabulous, kind-to-the-touch green Kravet Couture Mohair that gives the chair an elegant, vintage feel perfectly offsetting the blonde woodgrains of the beechwood. The dark green mohair coupled with the brass side stretchers emphasize the light color of the wood, which was originally stained walnut to appeal to an American market but has been left in it's natural finish as intended by the designer, creating a unique modern twist to the classic Danish design.

The majority of the postwar California furniture designers found inspiration in free-form biomorphic shapes with forward-looking parabolic forms utilizing experimental materials, designer Dan Johnson (1918-1979) was an exception. While Johnson’s earlier furniture pieces (late 1940s) looked more familiar, with folded planes of wood, blocky modern forms, and integrated pulls, his style drastically shifted after moving to Rome in the mid-1950s. Opening Dan Johnson Studio, he began creating pieces marked by their elegant sculptural form, looking back to Roman antiquity to find inspiration. Working in cast bronze, wrought iron and brass Johnson designed a series of spectacular sculptural pieces, his most well-known being the "Gazelle" chair. This mid-century silhouette combines function with a rare curvilinear shape. The graceful Gazelle chairs and tables were likely inspired by the animals depicted in early Roman hunting scenes. Johnson later wrote to a friend, that he is taking “a modern approach to the ancient Roman stuff I appreciated so much.”

The Selig Manufacturing Co was at the cutting edge of contemporary furniture during the mid 20th century. Selig Furniture was founded by Mendell Selig and Samuel Wexler in Gardner, Massachusetts in 1931. By the 1950s the company had grown to become one of America's leading importers and producers of contemporary furniture. The company focused on the high end designs being produced in Denmark and other Scandinavian countries. Their product range epitomized the simple, elegant and airy forms typical of post-war Danish furniture design on display in this exquisite chair's aesthetic and form.

Ideal for collectors and designers alike searching for an authentic, early Dan Johnson piece this lounger offers a modern reimagining of the classic design and can blend seamlessly against a myriad of design backdrops from Mid-Century Modern to Minimalism to Contemporary and everything in between. As comfortable as it is aesthetically breathtaking this high-back chair won't last long. Make it yours today before it's truly gone forever.

---Dimensions---
Width: 26 in / 66.04 cm
Depth: 33 in / 83.82 cm
Height: 35 in / 88.9 cm
Seat Height: 18 in / 45.72 cm
Arm Height: 19.75 in / 50.17 cm See less