Dansk Møbelkunst Gallery is collaborating with Michael Anastassiades + Claus Bjerre at The Salon Art + Design.
Those heading to The Salon: Art + Design in NYC (8-12 November) will encounter the bold new collaboration between by Michael Anastassiades and Claus Bjerre that’s part of a new initiative launched by gallery owner Ole Høstbo, who has teamed up with a select group of contemporary designers to further cultivate the gallery’s work within the field of 20th century Nordic design.
Dansk Møbelkunst Gallery specializes in rare, original works of Danish furniture that were created during 1920-70, when a circle of craftsmen, architects and designers erased the distinction between works of art and functional equipment for everyday life. Established by Ole Høstbo in 1992, Dansk Møbelkunst takes its name from the Danish word for Furniture Art, a term that is rooted in the handicraft tradition and signifies a synthesis of aesthetics, utility and craftsmanship.
During the twentieth century, møbelkunst evolved from the reproduction of historical styles to the creation of truly modern furniture that relied on beautiful materials, rather than applied decoration, and finely-crafted details for its aesthetic value. Thegallery’s expertise encompasses both handcrafted masterpieces and iconic works of industrial design.
Exclusively for Dansk Møbelkunst, Michael Anastassiades has designed a group of furniture, consisting of a table, a stool and a screen, collectively titled Halfway Round. The three elements are all made in Oregon Pine and share an idiom, characterized by refined simplicity and beautiful contrasting interplays between soft, rounded curves and sharp, disciplined lines.
‘Michael’s design is both simple and sophisticated and combined with his devotion to quality this relates very well to the Danish cabinetmaking tradition of timeless design and superb craftsmanship’, Ole Høstbo explains.
Anastassiades liked the idea from the beginning: ‘I share a lot of values
with Dansk Møbelkunst Gallery. It has been an incredible challenge to work within the context of their historical pieces. I’m normally a lighting designer – that is what people know me for. But I think my approach is very similar, not only in terms of the aesthetics but also in terms of the qualities and the values that I look for when designing a piece’, he says.
