Cutlery

Objects

1957

Cutlery

In the 1950s Arne Jacobsen had the innovative idea of designing cutlery in stainless steel as an affordable and functional alternative to traditional silver cutlery.

YEAR:

1957

DESIGN:

Arne Jacobsen

Arne Jacobsen’s stainless steel cutlery was novel and unconventional in both form and material when it was launched in 1957. The organic lines of AJ Cutlery are the result of Arne Jacobsen’s artistic and experimental approach to design and his desire to strip away all superfluous elements. That the cutlery still appears so radically modern today is testament to Arne Jacobsen’s capacity for visionary thinking and his ability to create forward-looking and aesthetic designs.

In 1957, the cutlery made its public debut at the Milan Triennial. At this premiere, the cutlery received extensive coverage, and ever since, it has remained an internationally recognized design icon.

Arne Jacobsen's drawing of the fork and the spoon. Photo: Royal Danish Library - Danish National Art Library.

Similar to his aspirations for the famous lounge chairs from 1958, the Swan and the Egg, Arne Jacobsen aimed to eliminate the transitions between the elements of the steel cutlery. Its organic lines reflect Arne Jacobsen’s artistic approach to design, and as he did with the lounge chairs, he took an experimental approach, sculpting physical models until he had achieved the right form. In 1958, Arne Jacobsen said to the Danish newspaper Berlingske Aftenavis, ‘I have had the idea for this cutlery for the past 20 years, so I did not need to begin at the drawing table when A. Michelsen gave me this assignment. I was involved in shaping it in the workshop, snipping and cutting until the cutlery met the aesthetic and functional requirements.’ In particular, the design of the knife, where the transition from handle to blade is only indicated in the contour, and the short tines of the fork make the AJ Cutlery stand out.

Cutlery
Manufactured by

Georg Jensen

Photo: Stjernegaard Fotografi.

The use of stainless steel for cutlery was an innovative and radical choice in the mid 1950s, born from the vision of offering an affordable and functional alternative to traditional silver cutlery.

After the Second World War, Arne Jacobsen experimented successfully with the use of industrial materials and production methods as a basis for new designs for the modern consumer. The use of stainless steel for cutlery was an innovative and radical choice in the mid 1950s, born from the vision of offering an affordable and functional alternative to traditional silver cutlery. At the launch, AJ Cutlery received extensive press coverage, and both aesthetics and functionality were hotly debated. As testament to Arne Jacobsen’s ability to create visionary and unconventional designs, eleven years after the launch AJ Cutlery featured in Stanley Kubrick’s 1968 epic futuristic film 2001: A Space Odyssey.

Sources: Arne Jacobsen Design Archives. / Arne Jacobsen’s drawings. The collection of architectural drawings, The Royal Library – Danish Art Library. / Arne Jacobsen’s scrapbooks. The Royal Library – Danish Art Library. / Sheridan, M. (2003). Room 606: The SAS House and the Work of Arne Jacobsen. London: Phaidon Press / Stenum Poulsen, K., Skaarup Larsen, A., & Staunsager, S. (2020). Arne Jacobsen – Designing Denmark. Kolding: Trapholt. / Thau, C., & Vindum, K. (1998). Arne Jacobsen. Copenhagen: Danish Architectural Press.

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Cutlery

In the 1950s Arne Jacobsen had the innovative idea of designing cutlery in stainless steel as an affordable and functional alternative to traditional silver cutlery.

Georg Jensen

The use of stainless steel for cutlery was an innovative and radical choice in the mid 1950s, born from the vision of offering an affordable and functional alternative to traditional silver cutlery.

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