About the designer
Arne Jacobsen
Arne Jacobsen
Arne Jacobsen was one of the most influential Danish architects and designers of the 20th century. He graduated from the School of Architecture at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts in Copenhagen, where he also worked for many years as a professor of architectural design.
ARNE JACOBSEN
Arne Jacobsen left his modernist mark on architecture and design for more than 50 years – not only in Denmark, but also internationally. His production was enormous and based on a philosophy of creating total concepts, where everything was thought into the design and where there was a common thread, from building to furniture to other interiors.
As one of the world’s most renowned modernists, he mastered total design to the fullest and drew on all disciplines in the realisation of his major projects, from architecture to interiors, furniture design and graphics. The totality of the design was visible in the detail, as was the detail in the totality. And the magic is that this is still the case with so many of his design icons, which continue to be recreated precisely in accordance with the master architect’s original drawings.
Arne Jacobsen began his career in architecture designing residential and public buildings, where his uncompromising approach has fostered one design classic after another. As an architect and an exemplary designer, he dedicated his career to finding the essential core of the matter, and to rethinking products and structures from a functional, minimalist perspective. And his interest spread far beyond the exterior of buildings.
Arne Jacobsen also designed interiors such as furniture, textiles, frames, fittings, door handles and clocks, which you can now find in several series under the name Arne Jacobsen Clocks, with reference to some of Arne Jacobsen’s most iconic buildings. Good design will retain its appeal over time. This is also the case with Arne Jacobsen Clocks, where all the clocks in the Station, Roman, City Hall and Bankers series are shining examples of modern recreations of Arne Jacobsen’s original works.
Take for example the table alarm clock from 1939, which is an early example of Arne Jacobsen’s unique talent for creating industrial product design. The clock was created when Arne Jacobsen designed the private home for the then director at Lauritz Knudsen – a collaboration that helped lay the foundation for the Station series.
Similarly, Roman was created for Aarhus City Hall, which was inaugurated in 1941. The City Hall clock was designed to be hung on Rødovre Town Hall, where the clock was part of Arne Jacobsen’s total concept for the new town hall when it was built in 1956. The Bankers clock, meanwhile, was designed in 1971 and was originally created for use at Danmarks Nationalbank on a project that Arne Jacobsen was also a total architect on.
All the original clocks for both wall and table in the different Arne Jacobsen Clocks series have been recreated in accordance with the master architect’s original drawings – all with updated functions such as snooze mode and light sensor. What all the clock series have in common is their timeless, classic design, which is simple yet distinctive and historic. And with their floating look on the wall or from their fixed place on the table or shelf, the clocks hang and stand almost like sculptures in the home. They represent beautifully the very best aspects of Danish design.
