Georg Jensen

(active 1880 – 1935)

Georg Arthur Jensen (1866-1935) was a Danish jeweller, artist, sculptor and silversmith. Founder of the jewellery company Georg Jensen Sølvsmedie, whose silverware has had a significant impact on the development of design in jewellery production in the Scandinavian countries, he is one of the most recognizable and renowned Danish makers.

Georg Jensen began his apprenticeship as a jeweller at the age of 14, then received an art education (as a sculptor) between 1895-1901 at the Royal Danish Academy of Arts, and after that worked in the workshop of the court jeweller Michelsen, as well as in Mogens Ballin’s atelier, where he carried out orders for products made of tin and silver. In 1904, he opened his own workshop in Copenhagen and produced silver jewellery in the Art Nouveau style. Jensen's works had great success, and soon his workshop was transformed into a whole Georg Jensen company. In 1914 the firm opened a branch in Berlin, in 1921 - in London, and in 1924 - in New York. It also had its own stores in Stockholm and Paris. 

Works by Georg Jensen's firm were exhibited at the 1900 World's Fair in Paris. In 1923, Georg Jensen won a number of design awards in Barcelona, Rio de Janeiro and Brussels. In 1924 the prominent maker moved to Paris, but in 1926 came back to Copenhagen, already as a globally renowned designer. He kept designing items for the store until his death in 1935.

After the death of Georg A. Jensen in 1935, the firm was inherited by his son Jørgen Jensen (1885-1966). He preserved the same artistic style in the production of silver items that was used by his father, and attracted a lot of famous designers to cooperate and collaborate. Among them were Sigvaard Bernadotte, Arne Jacobsen, Finn Juhl, Henning Koppel and Eric Magnussen. In the 1950s and 1970s, Georg Jensen also produced high-quality sculptural jewellery and wristwatches in precious metals, designed by Nanna Dietzel and Vivianna Torun Bülow-Hübe. 

In 1973, the Georg Jensen trademark was acquired by Royal Copenhagen and in 1997 Georg Jensen Sølvsmedie became a part of the Royal Scandinavian Group, along with the Danish and Swedish companies Royal Copenhagen, Bing & Grøndal, Holmegaard, Orrefors, Kosta Boda and Höganäs Keramik. As for the brand signs used by the company, there are 10 hallmarks, that belong to Georg Jensen and approximately 11, that belong to the designers, who used to work for the firm.

Pieces by Georg Jensen are examples of great Scandinavian design in tableware. Many of the products released by the factory have received awards for their user-friendly and innovative design. Today, the company's items are sold in hundreds of stores in 12 countries around the world.