Ole Wanscher (1903-1985), a student and follower of Kaare Klint, was noted for his strong influence of classic forms in furniture design, redeveloping these themes for modern times and means.
Wanscher designed a number of elegant pieces in traditional materials with a modernism influence of designing affordable furniture for the people. Wanscher also produced several luxury designs in limited editions. Wanscher studied furniture design on trips through Egypt and Europe with his father who was researching the history of fine arts
.
Taking the cue from his father, Wanscher published several books at the end of the project, and would go on to write throughout his career,later publishing The History of the Art of Furniture and Five Thousand Years of Furniture. He worked on the more conservative end of the spectrum, devoting his energy to the poetry of the classic forms rather than to innovating new forms.
Wanscher studied at the Copenhagen Advanced College of Building Technology and at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts, graduating in 1929.
He had opened his own office a year earlier. In 1955, when Klint died, Wanscher took his much-coveted position teaching architecture at the Royal Academy and remained there until 1973. Wanscher considered construction and form to be vastly important, treating furniture design as if it was a branch of architecture. In addition to the Egyptian furniture, Wanscher was heavily inspired by English period furniture,Greek and Chinese furniture.
Along withother designers, like Finn Juhl and Børge Mogensen, Wanscher was developing the technique of the 'unsupported arm,' which gave the seat and back a somewhat unhinged and even animated quality and was used on this chair. He also designed a 1951 rocking chair for France and Søn with a curved, organic profile and a square rocking base.