About Holmegaard Glasswork: Jacob E. Bang

Item number: 422894

Description: Many people consider Holmegaard to be the mother of all Danish glassworks. And with good reason. First of all Holmegaard is one of the oldest glassworks in Denmark. Second of all Holmegaard has produced countless of popular series in cooperation with a number of largely recognized designers. One of the first designers was Jacob E. Bang.

Bang was born in Frederiksberg in 1899. Although he was trained as an architect, Holmegaard employed him as a designer in 1925. In the years, that followed, Bang permanently dedicated himself to applied art, and in 1928 he was promoted to artistic leader of Holmegaard Glassworks.

Bang has as one of the only Danish designers of glass won international recognition and several awards at exhibitions in both Barcelona, Bruxelles, Paris and New York. Many consider him to be a pioneer for functionalism in Danish glass design, and Bang’s mantra ”beautiful, strong, practical and economical” is commonly known among those, who have an interest in glass. Bang was also the originator of the words, that in the 1920’s and 1930’s emphasized Holmegaard’s vision: ”Every Dane should be able to own a Holmegaard glass”.

Although Jacob E. Bang was first and foremost an industrial designer, he also played an essential role in establishing Holmegaard Glassworks as a design corporation. Artistic designs were characteristic for Bang’s production as both designer and artistic leader, and this is especially obvious in the series Opaline and Viol.
Both series are characterized by parts that, in spite of combining beautiful designs with complete functionality, are also able to function as mainly aesthetic objects. You don’t need to fill the glasses with water, wine or flowers to enjoy the series. With very good reason Jacob E. Bang’s works have long been stylistic icons for other designers and collector’s items for a large part of the world’s glass enthusiasts.

Yours sincerely,

Kristian Harsted-Simonsen

Item number: 160