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Johan Rohde

Johan Rohde (1856-1935) was originally trained as a medical doctor and turned to arts quite late in life. After a few years of private studies, in 1881 he began his studies at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Copenhagen. Rohde was critical to the institutions stagnated view on art and its reluctance to accept modern currents, and within a year he had left the school.

The Academy’s refusal of modern art to the annual exhibitions held at Charlotteborg Palace lead to the establishment of the Free Exhibition in 1891, Rhode was one of the main initiators behind the founding of the association, along with Danish artists Vilhelm Hammershøi (1864-1916) and Theodor Philipsen (1840-1920).
Later Rhode turned to design and furniture, his furniture designs were often a mixture of Classicism and Japonism made of exotic timber, in 1900 several of his furniture were exhibited at the World’s Fair in Paris. He worked with silver concurrently with his furniture design. In 1906 he started his life long cooperation with Georg Jensen (1866-1935). Rhode became one of the first artists to design for the studio. In many ways Rhode is the designer whose work is most similar to Georg Jensen’s own designs with light spot-hammered surfaces and naturalistic influences, but unlike Jensen’s Art Nouveau inspired designs Rhode worked with more simplified geometric shapes and less ornaments. Several of his works represents simplicity, function and a respect for the material, that later would be the main features in Scandinavian design. Reference: Bonhams

Johan Rohde was co-founder in 1891 of the secessionist group, Den Frie Udstilling (the Free Exhibition). Through this group he first met Georg Jensen, who in 1897 exhibited at Den Frie Udstilling the sculpture that had been rejected by the Danish Academy. Both later spent periods in the workshop of the silversmith Mogens Ballin, from which Jensen set up his own workshop in 1906. Rohde’s first silver designs, made in 1905 for his own house, were executed by Georg Jensen. He began to collaborate with Jensen in 1908, but it was not until 1917 that he entered into a formal association, which lasted until his death in 1935. During this time Rohde also designed silver for other Copenhagen firms. Reference: British Museum.