About
Lifespan: 1916–2000
Birthplace: Ringe, Funen, Denmark
Manufacturers: Willy Beck, Fritz Hansen, Carl Hansen & Søn
Story
Aksel Bender Madsen (1916–2000) was a Danish furniture designer. Trained as a cabinetmaker, he studied furniture design at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts and graduated in 1940. He met Ejner Larsen while studying at the Academy, and the two began designing together in 1947.
Together, Larsen and Bender Madsen designed around 300 works, with chairs at the center of their practice alongside lounge furniture, bedroom suites, bookshelves, dining tables and office furniture. They worked closely with cabinetmaker Willy Beck and exhibited regularly at the Copenhagen Cabinetmakers’ Guild Exhibition. Their best-known work, the Metropolitan Chair, was first shown in 1949 and later took its name from the 1960 exhibition The Arts of Denmark at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.
History & Works
1916 (age 0)
Born on 16 August in Ringe on the island of Funen.
1940 (age 24)
Graduated from the furniture department of the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts. He subsequently worked with Kaare Klint and Arne Jacobsen.
1947 (age 31)
Began designing with Ejner Larsen. Their furniture, made by Willy Beck, was shown at the Copenhagen Cabinetmakers’ Guild Exhibition, where they continued to exhibit in subsequent years.
1949 (age 33)
The Metropolitan Chair was first shown at the Copenhagen Cabinetmakers’ Guild Exhibition.
1956 (age 40)
Larsen and Bender Madsen received the Copenhagen Cabinetmakers’ Guild annual prize.
1960 (age 44)
The chair was presented at The Arts of Denmark at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and became known as the Metropolitan Chair.
1961 (age 45)
Received the Copenhagen Cabinetmakers’ Guild annual prize again with Ejner Larsen.
2000 (age 83)
Died on 23 May.
Furniture
Metropolitan Chair
References
Carl Hansen & Søn — Ejner Larsen & Aksel Bender Madsen; Kraks Blå Bog; Københavns Snedkerlaug — Snedkerprisen