Arne Jacobsen was born and raised in Copenhagen. In 1927, he graduated as an architect from the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts in Copenhagen. After graduating, he obtained his first job at the office of the City Architect of Copenhagen launching his own office only two years later.
Arne Jacobsen is a world famous Danish modernistic architect. His buildings are numerous in Denmark, Germany, and the United Kingdom. Among his more famous projects are the National Bank in Copenhagen (1971), SAS Royal Hotel & Terminal, Copenhagen (1960), and St. Catherine's College in Oxford, UK (1963). It is said that his fear of flying inhibited him from making a full impact on the American Architectural environment.
As an architect, Arne Jacobsen had very strong decision making skills, making it possible for him to influence not only the design of the building itself, but the majority of the details. Over the years, he ventured into various fields related to his work, such as light fixtures, furniture, cutlery, door handles, sanitary fixtures, fabrics, and wallpaper patterns. "The Egg" and "The Swan" are two infamous chairs designed by Jacobsen.
During Arne Jacobsen's lifetime, he received several prestigious awards both at home and abroad. He became a professor at the Royal Danish Academy for 11 years and through that he influenced an entire generation of Danish Architects. Each eventually developed their own architectural language, built upon the same rationalistic and minimalist approach toward architecture.
|