Jens Risom

Born in Copenhagen in 1916 and emigrating to the U.S. in 1939, Jens Risom made Danish modernism an important part of U.S. design. In 1941, he joined forces with fellow Danish émigré Hans Knoll, who soon launched Knoll with 20 pieces of furniture, 15 of which were designed by Risom. In 1943, Risom left Knoll to join the U.S. Army and returned to create his own design firm. While he moved on to design consultancy, Knoll produces many of his pieces to this day.