About
Danish entrepreneur, master silversmith, and designer known for founding the luxury design company Georg Jensen in 1904 and for shaping the international reputation of Scandinavian silver and design.
Before fame
He began training as a goldsmith when he was 14 years old. He apprenticed with Guldsmed Andersen from 1880 to 1884. He enrolled at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts in 1887 and studied sculpture under Theobald Stein. He graduated in 1892 and initially pursued a career in fine arts rather than commercial design. He worked in ceramics and became a modeller at the Bing & Grøndahl porcelain factory during the 1890s. He co-founded a pottery workshop with Christian Petersen in 1898. He created his first notable jewelry piece the "Adam and Eve" belt buckle in 1899 as he began transitioning into metalworking. He was designing silver jewelry while working with master silversmith Mogens Ballin by 1901. He founded his own silversmith workshop in 1904 at 36 Bredgade in Copenhagen and officially launching what would become the Georg Jensen brand. His company expanded internationally with a shop in Berlin in 1909 followed by a larger workshop and retail location in Copenhagen in 1912.
Trivia
His company won the Grand Prix at the Paris International Exhibition in 1925 which was one of the highest honors in decorative arts at the time. His company received additional Grand Prix awards in Barcelona in 1929 and Brussels in 1935. He collaborated with and promoted designers such as Johan Rohde, Harald Nielsen, and others. He designed a teapot decorated with a magnolia blossom motif in 1905 which eventually evolved into one of the company's most famous silverware patterns in 1919.
Family life
He was born and raised in Rådvad, Denmark. He was born into a working-class family. His father was a knife grinder. He spent most of his adult life in Copenhagen, Denmark. He was married multiple times and had several children. He died in 1935 and was buried at Hellerup Cemetery in Denmark.
Associated with
His company's jewelry and silver products have been used to celebrate major royal milestones including a piece released in 2024 to commemorate Queen Margrethe II's abdication and the ascension of King Frederik X.
