Arne Hovmand-Olsen

Denmark,1919-1989

Arne was born and raised in Kirkeby Sogn in the middle of Denmark. He was the eldest of five children, and though from a farming family he realized at an early age that he wanted a different career. He had always liked to draw, and was then apprenticed to a cabinetmaker P. Olsen Sibast in 1938. After his apprenticeship, Arne dreamed of being able to design the furniture which he produced, and therefore enrolled in a technical school specializing in furniture design at Aarhus, in 1941. Once qualified, Arne started his own studio creating beautiful furniture, influenced by Scandinavian design and executed in a simple and light style. His furniture was sold in Denmark , but was mainly exported to the large overseas market, with the U. S. market being an avid consumer. His studio closed in the 1970's due to illness.