ERIK HERLOW (1913-1991)

Born in 1913 in Copenhagen, Erik Herlow trained as an architect at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts, and upon graduating had worked upon the designs of many important industrial buildings. He was also one of the architects for the American Embassy built in Copenhagen in 1954, as well as a number of buildings for Superfos.

Of the many projects and fields he work, Erik Herlow had worked prolifically as an exhibition organizer and has designed many official Danish exhibition pavilions and installations, including those for the Danish exhibition at the 1951 Milan Triennale; "Design in Scandinavia," a traveling exhibition show in twenty five North American Museums in 1954; and "Formes Scandinaves," an exhibition held at the Musee des Arts Decoratifs in Paris in 1958. 

He has also served as artistic consultant to the Royal Copenhagen Porcelain Manufactury since 1955, and professor of industrial design at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts since 1959. He was awarded gold medals at the Milan Triennale in 1954 and 1957, and the Eckersberg Medal in 1958. Also Herlow designed the famous Obelisk pattern for Copenhagen Cutlery, as well as other modern sets. he also designed textiles and furniture among his other works, and has worked for many additional firms including A Michelsen, Cohr, Universal Steel,and Georg Jensen. His designs for Georg Jensen included a few jewelry pieces utilizing gold as a medium and were decorated with large cut gemstones, and for A. Michelsen, his works in silver hollowware were exceptional examples of modern industrial design. 

Many of his designs were sympathetic to both the consumer and the manufacturer, primarily due to the depth of his understanding of the manufacturing process and how to best achieve beautiful results with the production methods available. 

He later went on to promote and educate upon the field of industrial design itself, starting with his book, "Good Things for Every Day Use" in 1949. He also was a cofounder of the Society for Industrial Design in 1954, an educator for the Goldsmith's College in 1952-54, and at the Art Academy of Architecture, an associate professor before becoming a full professor of industrial design. His works have appeared in the Museum of Modern Art and the Metropolitan Museum in New York. In 1980, he was awarded a lifetime state grant for his works.

(Georg Jensen Silversmithy- 77 Artists, 75 Years)