Ant chair
Arne Jacobsen's light, stackable chair of 1952, a moulded veneer shell on slim steel legs, made by Fritz Hansen.
- Designed by
- Arne Jacobsen
- Made by
- Fritz Hansen
- First made
- 1952
Pictures © Fritz Hansen, from fritzhansen.com.
Why it is renowned
The Encyclopaedia Britannica names Arne Jacobsen's three-legged stacking chair of 1952 — the Ant — among the industrial designs for which he is known internationally, together with the Egg chair.1 The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York holds a moulded-plywood side chair by Jacobsen of about 1951 on steel legs.2 Fritz Hansen makes the Ant today.3
The story
Jacobsen designed the Ant in 1952 for the canteen of the Novo pharmaceutical factory in Frederiksberg; its Danish name is Myren, the ant, for the outline of its shell.4 The first model had a seat of form-moulded laminated veneer on three legs.4 Fritz Hansen had been reluctant to produce it, but an order of 300 chairs from Novo convinced the company to put it into production; the legs were later made in tubular steel and a four-legged version followed.4 Fritz Hansen makes it as the models 3100 and 3101.3
What to know it by
- Ant1952Arne JacobsenLight, stackable chair with a moulded shell
- Myren1952Arne JacobsenThe Danish name, after the outline of an ant
- 3100 and 3101The models Fritz Hansen makes
Sources
- Arne Jacobsen, Encyclopaedia Britannica. britannica.com, read 28 September 2026.
- Side Chair, Arne Jacobsen, The Metropolitan Museum of Art. collectionapi.metmuseum.org, read 28 September 2026.
- Ant, Fritz Hansen. fritzhansen.com, read 28 September 2026.
- Ant (chair), Wikipedia. en.wikipedia.org, read 28 September 2026.
Last checked 28 September 2026, against the maker's own pages.