Georg Jensen: The foundation of Scandinavian design

Georg Jensen grew up in Raadvad, north of Copenhagen, surrounded by forests and lakes that would become the primary inspiration for everything he made. He trained as both a goldsmith and a sculptor before opening his silversmith workshop in 1904 at the age of 37.

From the beginning, he rejected the romantic, historical, and ornamental decorations popular at the time, embracing instead the avant-garde forms of Art Nouveau - simple, organic, and rooted in skilled making. He had an extraordinary instinct for talent, building his workshop into a home for some of the most gifted silversmiths, goldsmiths, designers, and artists of his era. That tradition of collaboration has continued ever since - from Henning Koppel, Arne Jacobsen, and Vivianna Torun Bülow-Hübe to Patricia Urquiola, Marc Newson, and Zaha Hadid, each pushing the boundaries of what the house and the medium can be.