Panton, Verner

Verner Panton was born in 1936 in Gamtofte, Denmark. He studied at the Odense Tekniske Skole (Oden University of Technology) and in 1951 graduated as an architect from the Kongelige Danske Kunstakademi (Danish Academy of Fine Arts) in Copenhagen. From 1950 to 1952, he collaborated with Arne Jacobsen on experimental furniture designs such as the Jacobsen ant. The Cone (58′) and Heart (59′) chairs were manufactured by Plus Ligne. When Verner exhibited at a trade fair in Kobestaevnet in 1959, he literally turned the world upside down; the ceiling was carpeted, and the furniture and lighting fixtures were turned upside down. In 1955, the single-piece, plywood S-shaped cantilever chair was invented in collaboration with Thonet. Years later, Panton wanted to release it in plastic and sold the rights to Herman Miller. In 1962 he stayed briefly in Paris before opening a design studio in Cannes. He also moved to Basel to assist Willy Fehlbaum with the production of the Panton chair and to open his own design agency. Verner Panton’s clients included Kaufeld, Nordlys, Kill, Haigres, Wega Radio, Thonet, Schöner Wohnen, Knoll, Lüber, Bayer, Fritz Hansen, Mira X and Louis Poulsen. Panton’s designs were highly innovative, as a vision of the future. He used striking and playful shapes and colours. Verner Panton died in Copenhagen in 1998.