COPENHAGEN (dpa) – Many conservative Copenhagen residents were not impressed when the high-rise Royal Hotel designed by Arne Jacobsen opened its doors to the public for the first time in 1961.
Critics found the 22-storey building too cold and functional. Today the hotel is regarded as a symbol of the modern Danish capital and the man who created it is revered as one the country’s foremost contemporary furniture designers and architects.Arne Jacobsen, who died in 1971, would have celebrated his 100th birthday this year, reason enough for the Danes to stage exhibitions in his honour and to lavish some loving care on his notable buildings.“Evergreens – Nevergreens” was the name given to the Jacobsen retrospective by the Danish Design Centre (DDC).The show, which runs until June 9, offers a kaleidoscope of Jacobsen’s oeuvre from furniture, lamps, crockery and cutlery which became favourites or “Evergreens” through to designs which never made it into production.“Milestones and Evergreens” is the similar-sounding name of a travelling exhibition in Europe which will return on August 30 to the Louisiana Museum in Humlebaek where it is set to remain until January 12, 2003.The exhibition concentrates on Jacobsen’s key architectural achievements, including the Danish National Bank and the Royal Hotel in Copenhagen.Jacobsen not only designed the hotel building but the entire interior, right down to the light fixtures, door handles and ashtrays.Not that Jacobsen’s strict conceptual adherence was universally admired. “At the beginning of the 1980s Jacobsen’s ’60s designs were regarded as outmoded kitsch”, said Aileesh Carew, general manager of the hotel.The old furniture was thrown out but by the time the ’90s came around the Jacobsen designs were being re-installed and the entire building was renovated as its creator would almost certainly have wished.“We have fitted the rooms as far as possible with Jacobsen furniture but we have tried to combine his style with the 21st century,” said Carew.Freshly restored are the Bellavista flats in upmarket Klampenborg outside Copenhagen on the Oresund.There’s a touch of Hollywood about this dazzling white stucco apartment complex from the 1930s which includes, among other things, a American-style gas station and the Bellevue beachside pool.The flats in this ensemble always were sought-after – for the superb views of the Swedish coast – yet time had left its mark on these buildings. For decades the integral restaurant and theatre were closed down. With the revival of mainstream interest in Jacobsen this architectural gem has gained a new lease of life.Today the restaurant here carries Jacobsen’s name after investors were persuaded to restore the building with its generous terrace to former authentic glory. The curtain recently went up again at the theatre.Businessmen have been quick to cash in on the Jacobsen name. Wrist watches, candlesticks, chairs, Jacobsen limited edition furniture – the list is long and the items are anything but cheap.“A few years ago you could find bargains in the secondhand shops and at flea markets,” said Susanne Nielsen from the tourist office “Wonderful Copenhagen”. Those times are over, she lamented.It’s still possible to find pre-owned Jacobsen chairs but they are likely to cost as much as new ones.The wooden “Ant” chair, one of Jacobsen’s most famous organic furniture designs, costs 400 euros (365 dollars) at Illums Bolighus, the celebrated store in downtown Copenhagen. The padded “Swan” chair sells for several thousand euros.
