Chair #109

CHIEFTAIN CHAIR

—Designed by Finn Juhl for Baker

Finn Juhl (Danish, 1912-1989) designed the chair in 1948. The "Chieftain" is Juhl's most famous design. It was named the "Chieftain" after King Frederik IX sat in the display model at the 1949 Cabinetmaker's Guild in Copenhagen. The chair was influenced by tribal art. Unlike minimalist chairs, like the Barcelona Chair, the Chieftain is built for comfort (indeed, you feel like a king when you sit in it). Fewer than 80 of the original chairs were produced by the Danish furniture maker, Niels Vodder. Baker Furniture produced it under license from Finn Juhl in the 1950s and then re-released it briefly in the 1990s. Current production versions of the chair are now being produced by Hansen & Sorensen in Denmark.