Kaj Gottlob
Niels August Theodor Kaj Gottlob (1887-1976) was a Danish architect and professor of the School of Architecture at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts from where he himself had graduated in 1914. His furniture designs are outstanding examples of 1930s modernism in Denmark and his architectural works in Copenhagen stand as some of the most remarkable pieces seen in the city landscape. In 1936 Kaj Gottlob was appointed, by the regent, as a Royal Building Inspector.
In his youth Gottlob admired traditional Danish architecture and was fascinated too by the English Arts and Crafts movement, which gave him inspiration to his own works. However he later on became a leading character within the styles of the Nordic Neoclassicism and Functionalism, which he elaborated into a sober and more contemporary style compared to his time. As many of his colleagues, Kaj Gottlob also drew furniture and other fittings for his houses. His furniture in an increasingly modern style could often be seen in the exhibitions at Kunstindustrimuseet (today: Designmuseum Denmark). An early example of his furniture is the Klismos Chair (1922), produced by Fritz Hansen in ash.
In 1925 Kaj Gottlob designed the furniture to the Danish Pavilion at Expo-sition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes in Paris, which won him a Grand Prix. The designs were produced by cabinetmaker A. J. Iversen (1888-1979) with whom he collaborated with for years.