Kay Bojesen

Kay Bojesen was a Danish designer. He counts to the great Danish functionalists with his users friendly and modern shaping. He became especially famous because of his wooden animals he designed for Rosendahl and that are undisputed classics today. Kay Bojesen was born in Copenhagen the 15th of August 1886; he passed by there the 28th of August 1958.

Bojesen’s career began with an apprenticeship as silver smith which he completed at Georg Jensen in 1910. Kay Bojesen founded his own company on Copenhagen in 1913 which he sold in 1930 to open Bredgade 47, a shop with additional studio, only two years later. He created and sold his wooden animals and other figures in the following years there.

Kay Bojesen discovered his passion for wood in the 1930es, contrasting his apprenticeship given job. His beloved wooden animals emerged out of there in 1957. The designs are placed in an unique borders area between phantasy figures and design objects, The animals follow Bojesen’s mantra which says that good design has to be human, warm and vivid: ”They should remind of a circus”, is what he said about his works, from that the wooden creatures count to the most popular ones.

Form and material, seriousness and game melt to a unity in Kay Bojesen’s naïve designs. At the same time Bojesen possesses the unique force of revitalizing wood which made his works international design icons. The Wallpaper magazine even described the Kay Bojesen Apes as Danish design embodiment in 2008.

Kay Bojesen passed by aged 72. His products are still manufactured today by Rosendahl in tight cooperation with the Bojesen family.

Website by Kay Bojesen