Hans Wegner, Set of Six Chairs, Model No. JH507

Francis A. Countway Library of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Cambridge, Massachusetts, circa 1965

Acquired directly from the above by the present owner

In 1961, modernist architect Hugh Stubbins Jr. was selected to design the Francis A. Countway Library of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. Stubbins, an alumnus and professor of architecture at Harvard’s Graduate School of Design, was uniquely qualified to create a building that met the needs of students and gave the campus a visually distinct appearance. Speaking to Crimson Magazine of his plans, Stubbins described the library as “a prototype building embracing the ideas of the Harvard Medical School, fulfilling its functional requirements and giving it a character fitting to its purpose.” The result was a brutalist construction hailed as “a poem in stone,” reinforced with concrete and lightened by full-height glass windows.

The modern aesthetic of the library extended to its interior furnishings, added when the structure was completed in 1965. Hans Wegner’s JH507 chair model was chosen for use in conference rooms and study alcoves, where members of the academic community could collaborate and focus. In the same way Stubbins approached architecture, Wegner simplified furniture to minimalist, functional forms, making his design perfectly suited to the new library. The model’s warm oak frame offset the cool limestone walls, while its wide seat and reclined back upholstered in a sleek black leather made it conducive to both comfort and productivity. This set of six chairs presents an opportunity to acquire an excellent example of Danish modernism with esteemed institutional history.