SOLD Danish Mahogany Executive Desk Ejner Larsen & Aksel Bender Madsen Willy Beck Mid Century Vintage Retro MCM

New Stock ✅

Danish Mahogany Executive Desk By Ejner Larsen & Aksel Bender Madsen For Willy Beck Mid Century Vintage Retro MCM

A large Danish executive desk designed by Aksel Bender Madsen & Ejner Larsen and made by the Danish cabinet maker Willy Beck from the late 1950s.

Made from mahogany with beautiful rosewood details on the drawer pulls and leg tips. All three drawers run smoothly, and are lockable and come with working keys. This desk has a small pull out shelf above the left hand drawer.

Ejner Larsen and Aksel Bender Madsen designed approximately 300 furniture pieces, including the iconic Metropolitan chair.

Ejner Larsen (1917-1987) and Aksel Bender Madsen (1916-2000), trained as furniture upholsterer and cabinetmaker, respectively, met while studying under leading Danish designer Kaare Klint at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts. Their acquaintance developed into a lifelong friendship, and in 1947 they began designing together in their spare time. They exhibited furniture every year thereafter at the Copenhagen Cabinetmakers’ Guild Exhibition.
While the chair was the duo’s favorite furniture piece, they also designed complete lounge sets, bedroom suites, bookshelves, dining tables and office furniture. The resulting work was always simple and timeless.

The duo’s work has been exhibited within Denmark and internationally, including at La Triennale in Milan, Italy, at the ‘Design in Scandinavia’ and ‘The Arts of Denmark’ exhibits in the USA, and at the Gewerbemuseum (Museum of Applied Arts and Design) in Bern, Switzerland.

Several of their works have also been purchased by museums around the world, including the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art in Denmark, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the Busch-Reisinger Museum of the Harvard Art Museums in Boston, and several museums in Japan. Larsen and Bender Madsen were awarded the Copenhagen Cabinetmakers’ Guild annual prizes in 1956 and 1961, as well as several other awards in furniture and art competitions.

Based in Copenhagen, Willy Beck participated in the Cabinetmakers Guild Exhibitions from 1942-1966. Like many of the cabinetmakers of that time, Willy Beck teamed with a primary architects to produce designs for these exhibitions (e.g. Johannes Hansen/Hans Wegner and Niels Vodder/Finn Juhl), which were used to attract attention and furniture orders for the following year. Ejner Larsen and Aksel Bender Madsen was the main architect team for Willy Beck during the 40's and 50's, with collaboration expanding to other designers during the 60's.

Dimensions
Height - 75.5cm
Width - 180cm
Depth - 90cm

For any questions please message us on WhatsApp +447590146893 or please call us and follow us on Instagram @relicsofretro

Local delivery can be free depending on distance. National and international delivery is available at an extra cost which we can organise on your behalf.

Collection in person is welcome. We are West of Cambridge in Bourn CB23.

Please message before purchasing to confirm delivery costs.

Please note that vintage furniture may have some slight imperfections, which is to be expected in keeping with its age, as we do not offer returns on items sold.