I was invited by Henriette Quistgaard to visit Strandgaarden – Jens Quistgaard’s home and workshop by the sea.  I will visit along with Stig Guldberg, creator of the Jens Quistgaard documentary film, over night and I am very much looking forward to my visit.

I’m sure to see a lot of cool stuff in Copenhagen, down South at Strandgaarden, again back to Copenhagen, and then in Paris on our final leg of the journey.  I’ll post to the blog as I go, so although I haven’t been writing a lot lately, keep your eyes on the blog for updates soon.

Oh, if you have any recommendation on what to see in Copenhagen or Paris, please post them in the comments.

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A few things you might want to know:

– The DVD includes the 36 minutes documentary film as well as 8 additional clips of Jens Quistgaard talking in detail about different designs from his collection. The extras total an additional 28 minutes of film.

– The beautiful slip-covered package includes a comprehensive full color 56 page booklet in Danish and English which features dozens of full color photos and illustrations.

– Imported from Denmark (works on US players)

– Subtitled

– Visit jensquistgaard.com for more information and to view a trailer

A good sized crowd came out for the event.  Some Quistgaard collectors, some mid-century modern buffs, some SF modernism dealers, and some who just wandered in off the streets.  It was great to have the filmmakers Stig Guldberg and Finn Mathiasen present for the event.  There was a display of Jens Quistgaard’s works (from my collection), a slideshow of Quistgaard design photos, and some nice wine and hours d’ouvres to kick off the night.  The Studio manager Eric Hildebrandt gave a nice introduction and after the film there was a talk by director Guldberg.

The film was very well received by all.  It’s a great slice of life of Quistgaard.  It’s not so much a survey of his career as it is a portrait of the man.  The viewer is invited into Quistgaard’s home – it really feels like you had a short visit with the man and you know him a little bit at by end.  It gets at his his personality more than his output.  It ignores time lines and details in lieu of philosophy and thought.  The film has great archival footage and well photographed “design porn” footage of many of JHQ’s best works.

A few weeks before the SF event the film made its premier in Quistgaard’s native Denmark and from all accounts went very well – they had to add a second showing to accommodate all the interest.  Since Quistgaard is better known here in the US, it is great to see the attention on his work so close to where he lived.

See below for some photos from the events.  Check back here for information on how to get the film in the US once distribution has been arranged.  You can learn more at http://jensquistgaard.com/default_uk.html

A free showing of the new documentary film:
The Designer Jens Quistgaard:
A Saucepan for my Wife

The filmmaker Stig Guldberg will be attending the event and hosting a short Q&A session after the film.  There will be an exhibition of Quistgaard’s work as well.  Refreshments will be served.

Design Within Reach Potrero Studio
2299 Alameda St (at Potrero Ave)
San Francisco, CA 94103
Phone: 415.734.9172

Thursday February 11, 2009
6:00 PM – 8:00 PM

More information:
The Designer Jens Quistgaard: A Saucepan for my Wife
www.jensquistgaard.com

Design Within Reach
www.dwr.com

Come see the free screening – this Thursday 2/11/21010 – at the Potrero Studio in scenic (and currently sunny) San Francisco.

A free showing of the new documentary film:
The Designer Jens Quistgaard:
A Saucepan for my Wife

The filmmaker Stig Guldberg will be attending the event and hosting a short Q&A session after the film.  There will be an exhibition of Quistgaard’s work as well.  Refreshments will be served.

Design Within Reach Potrero Studio
2299 Alameda St (at Potrero Ave)
San Francisco, CA 94103
Phone: 415.734.9172

Thursday February 11, 2009
6:00 PM – 8:00 PM

More information:
The Designer Jens Quistgaard: A Saucepan for my Wife
www.jensquistgaard.com

Design Within Reach
www.dwr.com
_____________________________________________________________________________________

The Designer Jens Quistgaard:
A Saucepan for my Wife
He just wanted to make a saucepan for his wife. That’s how it all began.

Many American’s are familiar with Quistgaard’s designs, but few have met the man.  For the first time, the designer invites a camera into his home, with filming ending only a few months before his death in 2008 at nearly 89. Follow Quistgaard at close range in his unique home; watch him in action at work; and hear him talk of his life, his work and what drives him as a designer.

As chief designer of Dansk Designs, Quistgaard designed for table and kitchen – everything from flatware, saucepans and pitchers to glassware, trays, bowls and pepper mills of teak and exotic woods. The idea was to create a sense of aesthetic and functional unity for all objects we place on the table.  Quistgaard’s designs put a new and practical stamp on kitchens and tables in many American homes.

The film shows examples of the breadth and range of his output and includes unique 16 mm clips from the 50s and early 60s. His designs from the 1950s  and 1960s have become prized by collectors all around the world, and after his death a number of his designs have once again been put into production.

Duration: 36 min.  English subtitles

Production: ABC Film 2009

Produced with funding from Daninish Ministry of Education; Danish National Bank Anniversary Foundation; The West Danish Filmfund; Danish Union of Journalists Copyright Fund; Ellen & Knud Dalhoff Larsens Fund; 15 June Fund.

First of all, the collection.  If both of my cameras hadn’t broken before my trip, I’d have better photos, but the iPhone did a good job.  You can see from the photos that the collection is quite extensive.  He’s got a great selection of Jens Quistgaard for Dansk mills as well as those by other designers.  As I wrote about in my previous post, he’s got some very rare mills that are highly sought after by serious collectors, some I’ve never seen in person and it was great to be able to hold them in my hand.  They are also displayed beautifully.  Each mill sits on it’s own little shelf on the 8′x8′ wall, painted cream or ecru color to offset the mills’ wood.  It’s a display Sam himself designed and had built for the collection.  And of course, the whole thing is for sale…

Then there’s the rest of Sam’s gallery.  The place is filled to the rafters with cool stuff.  Lots of smalls and furniture, much of it I didn’t recognize (that is, rare pieces).  He’s got a ton of ceramics by Stig Lindberg and others, as well as art pieces large and small.   I didn’t have a lot of time to go through everything, but one could spend a lot of time there.

One of the most interesting pieces in the shop for me was a rosewood walking stick designed by Jens Quistgaard.  There were only 6 made, and they were given to the top Dansk executives by Quistgaard himself.  Sam has the whole story on it, and there is one for sale currently if anyone is interested.

And speaking of Sam, what a great guy.  He’s full of enthusiasm, information, and entertaining stories on Quistgaard and much more.

If you are planning to visit, you can find the contact info here.  Even if the gallery is closed, you can see the mills – they are near the front door.  The neighborhood is very cool, too.  They are right near the super hip Swingers Diner, the Grove, close to all the LA modern stores like Denmark 50 and Modernica, and the Melrose shopping district is close by as well.  A great place to visit.

Photo by fellow collector Wayne C.

A very nice website for the film was just launched, so you can learn more and watch a trailer at jensquistgaard.com.  The site has a great photo gallery of JHQ designs and some good bio information as well.

Please check back with me for more information about the film’s release, including screenings being planned in San Fransico and New York.

At the September Modern auction at Rago Arts, a pair of cast iron candlesticks sold for $793, well above the $400 – $600 estimate.  This is a very tall piece, almost 18″, and one of the rarer pieces in Jens Quistgaard’s Designs With Light collection from Dansk.

On Oct 6, Wright had a Modern Design auction with a lot of Jens Quistgaard pepper mills for Dansk.  The collection included 22 mills, but 5 of them are not Dansk and there’s at least 3 pairs of duplicate designs.  The collection sold for $2,750 (or $125 per piece) which is a pretty good price considering none of the mills are particularly rare.  There are a few strange things about this listing, though.  First of all, the photo is nice but you can’t really see all the mills – four of them are almost totally obscured.  Second, the description makes it sound like they are all signed Dansk, which I am sure they are not.  It looks to me like a store is getting rid of their extra stock – and they did pretty good.

Also at the Wright auction was an amazing set of 46 Krenit enamel bowls, designed by Herbert Krenchel.  I love these super thin metal bowls and have quite a few in my collection.  This collection is huge, and includes a great variety of sizes and colors.  All it’s missing is the plastic salad tongs.  It sold for $3,825 – about $80 per bowl on average.  What a great photo, too!

It’s great that these auction houses post their results on their sites along with the fine photos they take.  What an amazing resource for collectors and students of design.