Poul Kjaerholm began his legacy as a humble cabinetmaker’s apprentice. He has studied at the Danish School or Arts in Copenhagen in 1952. Later on, his distinctive design was evident in his PKO minimalist plywood series. His art was vetted as playfully irrational. In typical Scandinavian fashion, he blends wood, leather, steel and even marble as his furniture construction material. He sees art where there is none saying, “Steel’s constructive potential is not the only thing that interests me; the refraction of light on its surface is an important part of my artistic work”. His famous Lounge Chair “PK25” in 1952 has evolved year after year, following his Coffee table “PK61” was made to match another version of his Lounge Chair “PK22” in 1956 which has been well known ever since.
In 1958 his work has reached international acclaim for his contributions to the ‘Formes Scandinaves’ exhibition and has been awarded the legendary ‘Lunning Award’. He has also won the grand prize at the Milan ‘Trennali’. His designs have become a permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Victoria and Albert Museum in London and other museum collections in Denmark, Norway, Sweden and Germany.