populuxe

Happy President's Day! To honor the occasion, I thought I would share a little Presidential/Modern Design trivia with you.

What mid century modern designer earned a footnote in political history when in 1960, Vice President Richard M. Nixon and Senator John F. Kennedy were seated on his Danish modern chairs during the first nationally televised presidential debate?

Is he
A. Arne Jacobsen
B. Finn Juhl
C. Poul Kjaerholm
D. Hans Wegner

The answer after the jump

...

The correct answer is Hans Wegner. As you probably heard, the famous Danish modern designer recently died at age 92. Today lets not only honor our Presidents, but lets remember one of the humble giants of mid century modernism, Hans Wegner.

Following the debate, CBS president Frank N. Stanton had a commemorative silver plate attached to the back of each chair, identifying its user. The chairs are now on display at the Smithsonian Museum.