Just Andersen is widely considered to be one of Denmark's premier art deco metalware designers and, more generally, one of Scandinavia's most culturally impactful influences in the decorative arts industry as a whole. Although he additionally sculpted a large collection of pottery and ceramic wares he is best known for his timeless, elegant home decor and jewellery designs, his experimental approach to metal casting and innovative material creation and for drawing stylistic influences from Nordic legends and historical appliques.
Born Anders Johan Andersen in Godhavn Greenland in 1884, Andersen grew up in a working class family, his father was a shoemaker and his mother was a housewife, experiencing an rural idyllic childhood before moving to Copenhagen, Denmark when he was 10. Andersen studied decorative sculpture at the Royal Academy of Art in Copenhagen before attending the School of Danish Crafts, studying under painter Jens Møller-Jensen (1869–1948) in 1912 before training as a silversmith at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts. He was introduced to renowned jewellery designer and painter Morgens Ballin (1871-1914) by his wife Alba Mathilde Happiness, who worked for him as a chaser, and went on to study in hi workshop during the early 1900s. His talent was such at this fledgling stage of his career that he was trusted to complete unfinished works of Ballin's after his death in 1914 as well as creating work for jewellery designers such as A. Michelsen, P. Hertz and Georg Jensen before opening his own studio in partnership with Alba, Just Andersen Pewter, in 1918.
Just Andersen Pewter became well known for creating home interior and decorative pieces that infused everyday homeware pieces (like our Seahorse Bottle Opener) with a stylish, neo-classical design which elevated them from run of the mill to highly covetable. Working primarily with bronze, pewter and disko metal; a material he invented using a mixture of lead, tin and antimony that became something of a signature for Andersen as he refused to ever reveal the exact recipe used to create disko metal making items crafted using the material more exclusive. Named after the Disko Bay in Greenland where Andersen played as a child, disko metal has an unusually dark tone, matte finish and distinctive patina and was used as both the primary material in designs and as a base in the production of 'bronze' items which were created in disko and then cast in bronze.
Andersen's designs are known for their classical art deco forms and the use of high-quality Danish materials. Many of his designs nod to a childhood nostalgia and take inspiration from history, ancient legends, Nordic fairy tales and the natural world, incorporating otherworldly looking motifs such as peculiar balloon shaped fish, ethereal mermaids and playful cherubic figures that imbibe his designs with a sense of whimsy.
Throughout his lifetime Andersen won critical acclaim and several major awards including the gold medal for his bronze sculptures at the 1925 Paris World Fair, singling him out as a leading design talent amongst his peers. Demand for his designs would lead to the opening of showrooms in London, New York, Los Angeles and Berlin. In 1934 he returned once again to his creative alliance with Georg Jensen to create Blok flatware, a wildly successful range of cutlery and tableware, the stylistic influence of which can still be seen in contemporary silverware designs today. His reputation was such that his workshop was one of the first to be commandeered for use in producing war supplies by the German Army when it invaded Denmark in 1940, forcing him to flee to Sweden. He later returned to Denmark and continued to create, mainly producing sandstone sculptures due to war time rationing of metal materials, until his death in December 1943.
Examples of his work can be found in the collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, The Victoria and Albert Museum in London, the National Museum in Stockholm and Galleri B in Roskilde amongst many others and his legacy is preserved by The Just Andersen Association, a conservation group which holds annual meetings whose purpose is dedicated to promoting public awareness of the artist's work. His design legacy has had a lasting impact on many mid century modern jewellery, metalware and interior designers and continues to inspire contemporary works, with his influence being evident in many of the modern designs produced in Denmark to this day.
His pieces are now revered by interior decor collectors globally as pinnacles of art deco design and his pieces are widely thought of as some of the most treasured metalware of the 1920s and 1930s. Particularly sought after designs include matching set pieces like candleholders and plates, larger items such as vases and lamps, bronze items due to the value of bronze and his sandstone sculptures as these are his last works and are significantly more rare.
You can shop our current collection of Just Andersen pieces here.
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