Header: Courtesy of Fritz Hansen
As New York City’s annual design event, NYCxDesign, is coming up, one of the events that will take place will be the exhibition by the Danish company Fritz Hansen. From May 15th to May 21st, 2025, the company is dedicating its SoHo showroom to a special exhibition focused on the influential work of Danish modernist designer Poul Kjærholm. This event is notable because it’s the first time Fritz Hansen in the Americas has put together a show entirely centered on Kjærholm, a major figure in design history.
A Danish design powerhouse
Before diving into Kjærholm, it’s worth remembering who Fritz Hansen is. Founded way back in 1872, this Danish company has a long and respected history in the world of furniture design. They’ve built a reputation over nearly 150 years for producing high-quality pieces that often become classics, working with many leading designers throughout their history. Their commitment to craftsmanship and enduring design makes them a perfect host for celebrating a designer like Kjærholm.
Meet Poul Kjærholm
Poul Kjærholm was active primarily from the 1950s through the 1970s, carving out a unique space for himself within the rich landscape of Danish design. While Denmark was heavily associated with masterful woodworking traditions, Kjærholm took a different path. He looked at furniture differently, focusing intently on the structure and the pure form of each piece.
His big move was introducing steel into the high-end Danish furniture market. At a time when wood reigned supreme, Kjærholm explored the possibilities of industrial materials, often pairing steel frames with natural materials like leather, cane, or marble. He wasn’t just using steel for its strength; he appreciated its visual lightness and the clean lines it could create. He effectively rethought the established cabinetmaker’s approach using modern materials and production techniques, developing a distinct design language emphasizing clarity and precision. His work wasn’t just popular; it earned critical acclaim and spots in the permanent collections of major global institutions like MoMA in New York, the Victoria & Albert Museum in London, and Denmark’s own Louisiana Museum of Modern Art.
Inside the exhibition: Form, material, craft
What can visitors expect to see at the Fritz Hansen showroom? The exhibition promises a carefully chosen selection of Kjærholm’s most important works. It’s an opportunity to see his ideas about form, material, and expert making up close. The goal is to show off his groundbreaking approach and place his contributions within the larger story of Danish design history.
Two specific pieces highlighted are the PK15™ Armchair and the PK0 A™ Chair. The PK15, often made in ash wood with a cane seat, shows his skill with natural materials even as he explored industrial ones elsewhere. The PK0 A™, on the other hand, is a more sculptural piece, originally designed in 1952 and known for its unique curved plywood form, demonstrating his early experiments with shape. Seeing these and other signature designs together will give visitors a real sense of Kjærholm’s world and his constant exploration of how furniture could be constructed and experienced. It’s a chance to understand his focus on detail and how different materials could work together.
Event details
This special look into Poul Kjærholm’s design universe is happening for a limited time. If you’re in New York for NYCxDesign or just interested in the history of modern furniture, it’s worth stopping by.
- Where: Fritz Hansen Showroom, 22 Wooster Street, New York, NY 10013
- When: Thursday, May 15 through Wednesday, May 21, 2025
- Hours: Open weekdays (Monday – Friday) from 10:00 am to 6:00 pm
This Fritz Hansen exhibition offers a rare chance, especially in America, to dive deep into the work of a designer who truly changed the conversation in Danish modernism.
