168 - JØRGEN KASTHOLM (Denmark, 1931–2007) and PREBEN FABRICIUS (Denmark, 1931–1984) for Kill International.

JØRGEN KASTHOLM (Denmark, 1931–2007) and PREBEN FABRICIUS (Denmark, 1931–1984) for Kill International. Lounge chair and a 2-seater sofa, model FK6720, upholstery in cognac/brown leather, with a base in chromed steel, leather wrapped on the armrest. Designed in 1968. Chair and sofa have some sign of use. Produced by Kill International. Measurements: chair 80 x 75 x 80 cm, seat height 42 cm; sofa 80 x 145 x 80, seat height 42 cm. The “Easy” series of chairs and sofas (sometimes called the FK 6720 Easy Chair or Sofa) by Preben Fabricius and Jørgen Kastholm are iconic pieces of modern Danish design from the 1960s, renowned for their minimalist aesthetic, high-quality materials, and a combination of functionality and structural elegance. They are a classic example of the Scandinavian minimalist style: clean lines, simple yet meticulously crafted forms. The structure is visually light, almost “airy,” yet sturdy and well-proportioned. Danish architect and designer Jørgen Kastholm began his training as a blacksmith but soon left that trade to devote himself to furniture design. He attended the Copenhagen School of Interior Design, where he studied under Finn Juhl. It was there that he also met cabinetmaker Preben Fabricius, who would later become his partner. Both shared a common vision of furniture design, rooted in minimalism and quality and inspired by the works of Charles Eames and Mies van der Rohe. Their quest was to achieve an ideal that, through its simplicity, would be timeless. In 1961, they established a studio together in Gentofte, and four years later they presented their first designs at the Fredericia Furniture Fair, where they caught the attention of German furniture manufacturer Alfred Kill. Kill offered them a lucrative contract that allowed them to work with complete freedom, so Kastholm and Fabricius moved to Stuttgart with their first designs to begin production at Kill’s factory. Shortly thereafter, they made their international breakthrough at the 1966 Cologne Fair, where they showcased a complete line of home and office furniture developed from ten of their original designs. The two designers worked together from 1961 to 1968, a seven-year period during which they produced numerous designs now considered classics, such as the Tulip Chair FK 6725, the Grasshopper FK 87, and the Scimitar. During this period, their furniture was also featured in major international exhibitions held at such prominent venues as the MOMA in New York (1967) and the Musée d’Art Moderne in Paris (1967). Today, designs by Kastholm and Fabricius can be seen at the MACBA in Barcelona, the MoMA in New York, the Musée d’Art Moderne in Paris, the Ringling Museum in Florida, the Art Museum of Brasília, the Design Center in Stuttgart, the Haus Industriform in Essen, the Neue Sammlung in Munich, the Staatsgemäldesammlung Bayer in the same city, the Kunstindustrimuseum in Berlin, the Kunststoffmuseum in Düsseldorf, the World Import Mart Museum and the History + Folkways Museum in Japan, and the Museum für Angewandte Kunstgeschichte in Cologne.