Mogens Lassen
Encyclopedia
Mogens Lassen was a Modernist Danish
architect and designer, working within the idiom of the International Style
. He mainly designed residential buildings, both in the form of single-family houses and apartment blocks. He was the brother of Flemming Lassen
, also an architect.
into an artistic family. His father Hans Vilhelm Lassen was a decorative painter and his mother, Ingeborg Winding, was a painter. He trained as a mason before being admitted to the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts in 1923, but underwent further architectural training at various practices in Copenhagen, particularly with Tyge Hvass from 1925 to 1934. During a stay in Paris
in 1927 to 1928, where he worked for the Danish company Christiani & Nielsen
, he became acquainted with Le Corbusier
's revolutionary works which inspired him to design innovative modern houses in reinforced concrete on his return to Denmark. He set up his own practice in 1935.
In addition to his architectural work, Lassen was also a keen furniture designer. As a result of his fine craftsmanship and his search for simplicity, his steel-based furniture from the 1930s added a new dimension to the modernist movement. His later designs in wood still form part of classical Danish Modern
, especially his three-legged stool and folding Egyptian coffee table (1940) originally produced by A. J. Iversen.
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
architect and designer, working within the idiom of the International Style
International style (architecture)
The International style is a major architectural style that emerged in the 1920s and 1930s, the formative decades of Modern architecture. The term originated from the name of a book by Henry-Russell Hitchcock and Philip Johnson, The International Style...
. He mainly designed residential buildings, both in the form of single-family houses and apartment blocks. He was the brother of Flemming Lassen
Flemming Lassen
Flemming Lassen was a Modernist Danish architect and designer, working within the idiom of the International Style. Among his most notable buildings are libraries and cultural centres. He was the brother of Mogens Lassen, also an architect.-Early life:Flemming Lassen was born on 23 February 1901...
, also an architect.
Biography
Mogens Lassen was born on 20 February 1901 in CopenhagenCopenhagen
Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
into an artistic family. His father Hans Vilhelm Lassen was a decorative painter and his mother, Ingeborg Winding, was a painter. He trained as a mason before being admitted to the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts in 1923, but underwent further architectural training at various practices in Copenhagen, particularly with Tyge Hvass from 1925 to 1934. During a stay in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
in 1927 to 1928, where he worked for the Danish company Christiani & Nielsen
Christiani & Nielsen
Christiani & Nielsen is a construction contractor with major operations in Thailand and Southeast Asia. Originally a Danish company, it is today a listed company majority owned by the Crown Property Bureau of King Bhumibol of Thailand....
, he became acquainted with Le Corbusier
Le Corbusier
Charles-Édouard Jeanneret, better known as Le Corbusier , was a Swiss-born French architect, designer, urbanist, writer and painter, famous for being one of the pioneers of what now is called modern architecture. He was born in Switzerland and became a French citizen in 1930...
's revolutionary works which inspired him to design innovative modern houses in reinforced concrete on his return to Denmark. He set up his own practice in 1935.
In addition to his architectural work, Lassen was also a keen furniture designer. As a result of his fine craftsmanship and his search for simplicity, his steel-based furniture from the 1930s added a new dimension to the modernist movement. His later designs in wood still form part of classical Danish Modern
Danish modern
Danish modern, frequently capitalized as Danish Modern, is a vintage style of minimalist wood furniture from Denmark associated with the Danish design movement...
, especially his three-legged stool and folding Egyptian coffee table (1940) originally produced by A. J. Iversen.
See also
- Functionalism (architecture)Functionalism (architecture)Functionalism, in architecture, is the principle that architects should design a building based on the purpose of that building. This statement is less self-evident than it first appears, and is a matter of confusion and controversy within the profession, particularly in regard to modern...
- Architecture of DenmarkArchitecture of DenmarkThe architecture of Denmark has its origins in the Viking period, richly revealed by archaeological finds. It became firmly established in the Middle Ages when first Romanesque, then Gothic churches and cathedrals sprang up throughout the country...