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Jensen worked alongside his father at the factory from an early age. He did not have much schooling. His family recognised his talent for making things and encouraged his work.
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Above : Early Georg Jensen opal and silver brooch
When Georg was 14 the family moved to Copenhagen so that he could train as an apprentice goldsmith. This involved long hours and hard work.
Any spare time was spent modelling with clay, as he had aspirations to become a sculptor.He gained a place at the Copenhagen Royal Academy of Art and he graduated from the Academy in 1891 at the age of 25. Although Jensen never found success as a sculptor, the training he undertook very much influenced his future work as as silversmith.
Jensen married Marie Christiane Antonette Wulf in 1891 and they had two children Vidar and Jorgen. He could not make a living as sculptor, and started collaborating with his friend the painter Christian Joachim Petersen in a small pottery production firm. In 1897 Antonette passed away unexpectedly from kidney disease and Jensen was left with his two small boys.
Johan Rhode, a painter, sculptor and architect had founded an alternative art exhibition (The Free Exhibition) and offered Jensen the chance to show one of his pieces. Although the pottery business was not doing well financially, Jensen and Pedersen did have one piece accepted for an exhibition at the 1900 World Exhibition in Paris. It was called "The Maid on the Jar" . This was an earthenware jug with a small female figure perched on the rim.
Other pieces by Jensen and Pedersen were shown independently and sales were good. They received an honourable mention for their combined work in ceramics and Jensen was awarded a travel grant of 2500 kroner.
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The travel grant gave him a great opportunity t visit the leading art centers in Europe and in 1899 he embarked on a two year tour. In Paris the Art Nouveau movement was in full flow. In Italy and France he met artists who were being recognised for their accomplishments in the field of applied arts. They were earning a living from their work creating objects that were both beautiful and useful. The experiences gained from his travels perhaps led Jensen to believe that he too could channel his artistic skills into applied art, bridging the gap that existed between decorative art and fine art. Utilitarian everyday objects could be designed and valued for their artistic quality. When he returned to Denmark in 1901 he was filled with renewed purpose.
Sales at the pottery business with Pedersen remained fairly modest and Jensen was forced to take a job with Mogens Ballin the Danish silversmith who was a follower of the Art Nouveau style. Within a short period of time Jensen was appointed foreman of the shop. During his time there he was encouraged to develop his own designs.
Ballin even allowed artists who worked for him to exhibit work under their own names, this was not common at the time. While working at Ballin's workshop Jensen created a silver belt buckle which depicted Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. This is believed to be one of his earliest pieces of jewellery.
GEORG JENSEN OPENS HIS OWN WORKSHOP
Following the positive reaction to his work, Jensen decided to leave the Ballin workshop to set up his own workshop. On April 19 1904 (with some financial assistance from a private businessman). Jensen opened a small workshop at 36 Bredgade In Copenhagen.
He produced jewellery and subsequently hollowware and flatware. The workshop was a retail shop in addition to a place where Jensen displayed his work. in a portable case that was mounted on the wall outside the shop each day and taken in at the close of business.
When items from the case were sold they were replaced with others. Lettering on the shops front doors simply stated "Georg Jensen Sculptor, Silversmith". Although opening the workshop was the start of new path for Jensen he was still no stranger to the world of fine and applied art.
He had spent many years developing his skill as a sculptor and ceramist, and almost 20 years as a silversmith when he started the workshop at the age of 38.
Above : George Jensen early silver foliate bracelet design no 3
The staff at the workshop included the apprentice Henry Pilstrup who was 14 when he started with Jensen. He remained with the firm until his retirement in 1957, long after Jensen had died. Jensen encouraged his workers and allowed them artistic freedom. Above : Henry Pilstrup Georg Jensen moonstone brooch design 159
In 1904 Jensen exhibited his work at an exhibition at the Danish Museum of Decorative Art. The items displayed including his jewellery were highly praised, which greatly helped the reputation of his workshop.
In the early years of the workshop jewellery represented most of the production. It could be sold quickly and easily stored in the workshop. He produced exquisite jewellery including, necklaces, bracelets, rings, brooches, buckles, hatpins.
The rapid sales showed the appeal of his designs to Danish women. The art critics also quickly recognised the beauty and quality of his work.
Above : Early Jensen silver buckle with birds motif
In 1907 Emil Hannover bought two pieces of Georg Jensen jewellery for the museum's collection. These were a pendant decorated with silver grapes and a large silver and amber brooch with a leaf motif. Both items were pictured in the Museum's annual report bringing Jensen honour and public attention.
Above : Georg Jensen hair comb
DESIGN INFLUENCES Jensen produced a wide variety of jewellery designs from his workshop. They showed a mature and masterful style that was unmistakeably his own. In terms of influences his early work may have taken note of the English jeweller Charles Ashbee when his work was exhibited at the Danish Museum of Decorative Art in 1899.
Above : Early Georg Jensen pink stone pendant
The French jeweller Rene Lalique also appears to have inspired Jensen. In 1903 Jensen produced a silver dragonfly belt clasp featuring a highly realistic dragonfly in a floral setting adorned with opals which was highly evocative of Lalique's style.
In 1904 his artistic expression appears to have evolved into a specific style. Although it continued to subtly evolve over the course of his life there are a number of characteristic features which typically appear.
His interpretation of the Art Nouveau Movement is shown through his sweeping and winding vines and leaves , different from the "whip lash" line favoured by French artists. Graceful fruit like forms often appeared . These were imbued with his sculptural technique and silversmiths great attention to detail. His leaves, flowers, vines, seed pods, acorns, grape clusters and berries did not depict actual fruit or flowers, but his precise artistry left the impression that they could represent real plants.
Above : Georg Jensen hematite and silver brooch
Another feature of Jensen's jewellery is the highly sculptural quality of the pieces. Certain motifs also featured in his work. The "Jensen bird" is seen in different forms of his jewellery , including necklaces, brooches, earrings and bracelets.
Above : Georg Jensen pendant 78b nephrite and silver
Jensen used a variety of stones, some transparent and some opaque to create a varied colour palette in his work. The stones most frequently used were carnelian, onyx, moonstone, opal, coral and labradorite. These were not the most costly or precious of stones but the mounting of these stones was done with superb craftsmanship. The combination of stones gave vastly different effects. Opal used with moonstone enhanced the light effect achieved by the hammered surface.
Above : Georg Jensen silver earrings collection
Sapphire was sometimes used with moonstone which emphasised the blue of the moonstone. Jensen used cabochon cut stones for a rounded and smooth effect which intensified their colours. In addition to the coloured stones he used silver beads in different sizes which were round or oval in shape.
Both the stones and the silver beads were bezel set , sometime surrounded by silver leaves or elegant beading. The arrangement of stones and beads were always in perfect harmony.
Above : Georg Jensen silver leaves bracelet Jensen produced a large amount of jewellery. Items that are common today are Georg Jensen brooches , necklaces, pendants, rings and earrings. More scarce items are belt buckles, hat pins. hair combs, buttons, cape and dress clips, pocketbook frames, stick pins and watch fobs.
Johan Rohde was a painter, designer , graphic artist and critic. He studied drawing and painting and by the latter part of the 1880's he was already an important artist having had work exhibited in both Germany and Denmark. He worked to challenge the typical ways of teaching at the Royal Academy of Fine Art in Denmark, and was one of the main creators of the Free Exhibition.
He travelled a lot and was influenced by artists such as Van Gogh, Cezanne, and Gauguin. He wished to apply his artistic skills to the design of everyday objects and he designed silverware, hollowware, and furniture for his own home. He first met Georg Jensen when he commissioned him to produce one of his hollowware pieces. A successful collaboration ensued and they continued to work together, with Rhode designing hollowware for the Jensen firm. His most well known pattern was the Acorn.
Jensen and Rhode were the two main designers in the early years of the Jensen silver smithy. In the large part he designed flatware and hollowware. The few pieces of jewellery Rhode designed included cufflinks no 60B and tiebar 77. Both were classical in style with a simple design.
Harald Nielsen was the younger brother of Johanne, Jensen's third wife and although he originally wished to be a painter he was soon drawn into Jensen's company. He started out in 1909 as a chasers apprentice, but progressed to be director of the school of apprentices before becoming artistic director of the company . He remained in this role until 1962. Neilsen designed many pieces of jewellery including the leaf and bud necklace and bracelet no 96.
Above : Harald Neilson silver tulip necklace no 66 for Jensen
The most famous of Neilsen designs is the grape brooch no 217B worn as a pendant. During the 1920's the designs of Harald Neilsen marked a transition in style at the company from the organic naturalistic forms of Georg Jensen to a more streamlined style.
After Georg Jensen's death in 1935 Neilsen recruited talented young silversmiths training them according to the Jensen silver smithy standards in order to ensure the continuing quality output of the firm. His most famous recruit was probably Henning Koppel. Above: Harald Neilsen silver tulip earrings
Above: Brooch no 301 , Sigvard Bernadotte for Jensen
Functionalism is a term often used to describe Bernadotte's jewellery forms. Some of her designs remained in production for many years including cuff links no 67, produced in silver and gold , and brooch no 301 , a simple wreath like design.
Above: Heavy link bracelet Sigvard Bernadotte for Jensen
Arno Malinowski was very successful as a silver designer , ceramist, and sculptor. He studied in Copenhagen at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts School of Sculpture from 1919 to 1922 . He worked for the Georg Jensen firm from 1936 to 1944 and again from 1949 to 1965 creating designs for hollowware and jewellery. His jewellery often include detailed designs of animals such as the kneeling deer no 256, two butterflies no 283, and dolphin no 251.
Above: Arno Malinowski for George Jensen kneeling deer brooch
He became well know for his design of the Royal emblem Kongemaeket. This was designed for King Christian the X of Denmark and issued by the Georg Jensen fIrm to celebrate the King's birthday. The design was made into many commemorative pieces including brooches, cufflinks, matchbox holders and letter openers. The Jensen firm sold 1.3 million pieces of this jewellery.
The Danish people were wearing the Christian X pin as a gesture of resistance to the German occupation as well as a sign of affection and respect for the King. HENNING KOPPEL
Henning Koppel was 27 when he joined the Georg Jensen firm. He had studied drawing and sculpture at the Kunstakademiet (Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts) and the Academie Rancon in Paris. His silverwork was abstract and sculptural from the outset. The sculptural rounded edges of the free form jewellery with spaces instead of jewels was the best of modern design of the time.
His designs were very tactile and he used enamel instead of jewels. An example of this is necklaces 88B with matching bracelet designed by Koppel in 1947. Koppel's work attracted attention and made Georg Jensen one of the leaders of Scandinavian modern design.
Koppel won many prizes and awards including gold medals at the Milan Trennale, and the Lunning Prize in 1953, amongst others. Above: Henning Koppel "splash" bracelet 88B for Georg Jensen VIVIANNA TORUN-HUBLOW
Vivianna Torun Hublow started work with the Georg Jensen company in 1967. She made jewellery creating sculptural , simple spiral forms.
Above: Torun Hublow multi stone pendant
She is well known for necklaces that wind around the body and neck using rutilated quartz and rock crystals as jewels. Many of her prize winning designs conjured up images of the beach. Above: Torun Hublow "drops" necklace
Jensen anniversary pendant have been made each year since 1988. They are new adaptations of early company designs. For admirers of Jensen's work it is interesting to see the manner in which the firm has combined old motifs, stone, and elements to create new versions of old designs.
Each of the limited edition anniversary pendants is impressed with the year it was released and the Jensen company mark.
Above: Georg Jensen Heritage Pendant Year 2000
Above: Georg Jensen moonstone and silver dove bracelet
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