Thorvald Bindesbøll

Thorvald Bindesbøll was a fully trained architect from the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts in Copenhagen, the city where he lived and worked throughout his life. In addition to designing houses and furniture, Bindesbøll also worked as a craftsman and designer. He had an unusual talent for the decorative and created an enormously innovative style during a time when the Art Nouveau style was prevalent.

Bindesbøll’s ornamentation is characterised by curved, floral, organic patterns and motifs, with which he often decorated dishes, vases and jars. The same motifs and shapes often recur across different materials.

Today, Bindesbøll is regarded as an icon within Danish design, one who refused to restrict himself to a single mode of expression, material or technique. However, his works with ceramics and silver in particular placed him in a league of his own. He left behind a huge oeuvre that spans all areas of crafts and applied art, one with few if any peers in Danish art.