Bodil Kjaer b. 1932
Born in Hatting, Denmark in 1932, Bodil Kjaer is one of the foremost Danish architects and designers. Kjaer began her formal training at the Copenhagen School of Interior Architecture, completion of her studies, Kjaer worked for the architectural design company Arup where Penguin Publishing, IBM, and Oxford University were numbered among her clients. In addition to creating building designs, Kjaer was also a talented furniture designer. In 1959, she designed her iconic working table, a piece that has found a bit of celebrity. The design was used in three James Bond movies To Russia with Love, You Only Live Twice, and On Her Majesty's Secret Service and renowned owners of the form include Prince Philip, Michael Caine, and Evelyn Rothschild.
Although her furniture designs are highly sculptural, Kjaer states that she intended them to be a “solution to functional, monetary, and aesthetical issues” as she felt that furniture was meant to be a part of architecture. In 1960, Kjaer partnered with Verner Panton to curate a furniture exhibit for the Nordic countries at the Cologne Furniture Fair. The following year, Kjaer began to design in glass, eventually creating the Cross vase (1961, relaunched in 2017) as a universal vessel for all types of flowers. After working in London for thirteen years, Kjaer moved to the United States and began teaching at the University of Maryland, where she taught until 1989.
Auction Results Bodil Kjaer
Bodil Kjaer
office suite
estimate: $20,000–30,000
Bodil Kjaer
cabinet
estimate: $5,000–7,000
result: $10,000
Bodil Kjaer
cabinet
estimate: $5,000–7,000
result: $11,250
Bodil Kjaer
desk
estimate: $10,000–15,000
result: $10,625
Bodil Kjaer
office suite
estimate: $15,000–20,000
result: $25,000
Bodil Kjaer
office suite
estimate: $15,000–20,000
result: $21,250
Bodil Kjaer
desk
estimate: $10,000–15,000
result: $13,750
Bodil Kjaer
desk
estimate: $10,000–15,000
result: $15,000
Bodil Kjaer
early desk
estimate: $10,000–15,000
result: $15,000
Bodil Kjaer
desk
estimate: $10,000–15,000
result: $12,500
Bodil Kjaer
desk
estimate: $10,000–15,000
result: $24,130
Bodil Kjaer
desk
estimate: $10,000–15,000
result: $13,750
Bodil Kjaer
cabinet
estimate: $5,000–7,000
Bodil Kjaer
desk
estimate: $10,000–15,000
result: $21,250
Bodil Kjaer
desk
estimate: $7,000–9,000
result: $16,875
Bodil Kjaer
cabinet
estimate: $5,000–7,000
result: $10,000
Bodil Kjaer
desk
estimate: $15,000–20,000
result: $16,640
Bodil Kjaer
desk
estimate: $10,000–15,000
result: $11,875
Bodil Kjaer
conference desk
estimate: $10,000–15,000
result: $10,000
Bodil Kjaer
desk
estimate: $10,000–15,000
result: $18,750
Bodil Kjaer
executive desk suite
estimate: $12,000–15,000
result: $14,400
Bodil Kjaer
credenza
estimate: $7,000–9,000
result: $9,000
Bodil Kjaer
credenza
estimate: $5,000–7,000
result: $5,700
Bodil Kjaer
sideboard
estimate: $2,000–3,000
result: $5,400