Born in Denmark in 1932, Bodil Kjær is a professor and member of the MAA (Association of Danish Architects). She studied in Denmark, England and the United States, and worked as an architect, designer and urban planner in her Copenhagen and London offices.
In 1950, at the age of 18, she spent a year studying in England. She returned with a Certificate in Literature from Cambridge University. In 1951, she enrolled at the Frederiksberg Technical School in Copenhagen and at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts, where she was trained by the modernist master Finn Juhl, whom all the students emulated. Except her: "I never wanted to follow in the footsteps of the pack of...
Born in Denmark in 1932, Bodil Kjær is a professor and member of the MAA (Association of Danish Architects). She studied in Denmark, England and the United States, and worked as an architect, designer and urban planner in her Copenhagen and London offices.
In 1950, at the age of 18, she spent a year studying in England. She returned with a Certificate in Literature from Cambridge University. In 1951, she enrolled at the Frederiksberg Technical School in Copenhagen and at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts, where she was trained by the modernist master Finn Juhl, whom all the students emulated. Except her: "I never wanted to follow in the footsteps of the pack of Danish designers," she says.
A fan of the Eames, Bodil Kjær headed for the U.S., where she first worked for designer Paul McCobb, before devoting herself to interior design for corporate offices in Boston. In 1955, at the age of 23, Bodil Kjær began developing her "architectural elements": seats, coffee tables, daybeds, lighting, vases and a desk. This series of "architectural elements" was initially conceived with no commercial purpose. These creations were put into production and marketed both in the USA and Europe, after being discovered by other architects who decided to use them in their own buildings. Some of these pieces are still available, mainly at auction. His 1959 Office Desk has achieved cult status, appearing in the sets of three James Bond films, BBC talk shows and even in the office of the Queen of England's husband at Sandringham Castle!
In 1960, Bodil Kjær founded his own studio. Five years later, on a scholarship, she moved to London to enroll at the Architectural Association and the Royal College of Art, designing solar-cooled houses to be built in Africa. From 1967 to 1969, she collaborated with the renowned English engineer Ove Arup, who worked on the Sydney Opera House, among other projects. Although she returned to Denmark in 1979 to teach and work on urban development in the city of Aarhus, from 1982 to 1989 she was back on the other side of the Atlantic, teaching in Maryland.
After making a strong comeback at the 2018 Milan Fair, Bodil Kjær has been approached by seven publishers wishing to pay tribute to her work by reissuing some of her works. This was the case for Patricia Urquiola, Artistic Director of Cassina, who could only empathize with this architect, an independent woman with little talent for compromise.
Back in Denmark, Bodil Kjær now lives on the east coast of the Jutland peninsula, where she continues to teach, research and collaborate on the urban development of the city of Aarhus.
Country: Denmark
