Bruno Mathsson
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a pine shelf system / room divider, Firma Karl Mathsson, Värnamo, Sweden 1950-60's.
Base in green lacquered metal with steel feet, consoles of beech wood, shelves of pine, height 196 cm, width 180 cm, depth 73 cm.
Wear.
More information
Bruno Mathsson's first bookshelf modell was designed in 1942. This free-standing version was designed in the 1950's. Such a free-standing shelf, with green metal base, was delivered to Värnamo City Library for the inauguration on April 9, 1960. This is why it is sometimes referred to as the "Library shelf".
Designer
Bruno Mathsson (1907-1988) is one of Sweden's most prominent furniture designers. Having a father who worked as a master carpenter, Mathsson learned about furniture carpentry at an early age, which he later benefited from in his profession as a designer. The "Grasshopper" chair was the first that Bruno Mathsson designed in 1931 - on behalf of Värnamo hospital. It was made of bent-glued beech with saddle girth upholstery and had an ergonomic shape. However, neither patients nor staff at the infirmary appreciated the chair. Nowadays, the "Grasshopper" is considered a design classic.
A few years later, Mathsson exhibited his furniture at a separate exhibition at the Röhsska Konstslöjdmuseet in Gothenburg, and in 1937 he participated in the Paris World Fair.
Mathsson's furniture is now considered timeless design classics that combine style with comfort. Some of his most famous pieces of furniture are the armchairs "Jetson", which are produced for Dux, "Pernilla 3", and "Karin" and the table "Superellips", designed together with Piet Hein.