Quistgaard Film Premier

Over the last few weeks, the new documentary on Jens Quistgaard: A Saucepan for my Wife has  premiered in Denmark and San Francisco.  I was proud to be part of the event in San Francisco, hosted by the Design Within Reach Potrero Studio.

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