Verner Panton Overview

Known as the experimental and uncompromising bad boy of post-war Danish design, Verner Panton pushed the design envelope as far as he could. He used steel wire frames and molded plastic like no designer before him. And then there were the... [more]

Known as the experimental and uncompromising bad boy of post-war Danish design, Verner Panton pushed the design envelope as far as he could. He used steel wire frames and molded plastic like no designer before him. And then there were the textiles. Panton created total atmospheric experiences; his fabrics covered floors, walls, ceilings, and chairs. Born in 1926 and raised on the small Danish island of Funen, Panton attended Odense Technical College and the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts. As a young man he worked in the design offices of his famed countryman, Arne Jacobsen, but felt compelled to leave in order to broaden his artistic horizons. He trotted the globe in the name of learning all he could about worldwide furniture design and manufacturing trends. Along the way, he became fascinated with material and manufacturing innovations, feeling that it was a designer's responsibility to "exploit the most advanced technologies." Like many of his 1960s contemporaries, Panton created a molded plastic stacking chair (with a profile strongly related to Rietveld's 1932 wooden 'Zig-Zag' chair). The colorful chairs emit an animated aura, as if ready to jump across the room and stop just before being discovered by human eyes. Engaged in a seemingly continuous study of forms, Panton next created the 'Panton System 1-2-3" (1974). This series of chairs closely follows the lines of his stacking chair but also references his 'Pantonova' wire chairs. The system works as something of a mathematical equation: a series of six different bases, three seat heights, optional armrests, and two different kinds of padding could be interchanged to create a variety of seating styles. Not only that, but the chairs offer a variety of connection options for home, office, or industrial use. If it is still difficult to envision Panton's futuristic, neo-organic forms, think Mary Quant gone Williams-Sonoma. Panton reflected the casual ideal of '60s and '70s lifestyles (though ironically, he was obsessed with geometric correctness). As his designs have something of a timeless quality, he was able to see them return to fashionable status before his death in 1998. [show less]