A CHAIR IN THE ROOM 椅子的獨白：FINN JUHL 早期作品收藏展by ERIC H.
➤ 由後至前 Chieftain Chair 酋長椅 Model 45 扶手椅 Model 44 (Bone Chair)
椅子，在藏家眼裡，意義早已超越了一般家具。不禁令人好奇，在他們眼裡，椅子除了是坐的工具，究竟還倒映出何種工藝精神與巨匠身影？當 The VG House 創辦人 Eric H. 在因緣際會下，對一張皮革破碎、外型不起眼的椅子一見鐘情，產生共鳴的瞬間，來自一份直覺，也來自他對結構與氣質的敏感。彷彿是來自設計師的思考賦予其靈魂，反覆打磨的手工溫度塑造其骨架，使椅子成為某種理念的載具，能在獨坐冥想時與之對話。這份跨越時代與地域的凝視，使 Eric H. 循著作品逐步靠近丹麥設計大師 Finn Juhl 的思想與工藝脈絡，於後來人生十多年光陰中，陸續搜羅四代不同版本的「FJ 49A 酋長椅」、「FJ 44 Bone Chair」、被譽為世界上最美扶手椅的「FJ 45」等共 13 個系列設計。今次於台北「光在錦町」舉辦的藏品展，便邀請觀者走入仍留有舊時光風采的日式宿舍空間，在靜謐光影與緩慢步調中，凝神傾聽——《椅子的獨白》。
To collectors, the meaning of a chair has long transcended that of an ordinary piece of furniture. One cannot help but wonder: in their eyes, beyond being an instrument for sitting, what kind of craftsmanship and presence of master designers do chairs reflect? When Eric H., founder of The VG House, by a twist of fate encountered a chair with cracked leather and an unassuming form, he found himself instantly drawn to it. That moment of resonance arose from instinct, and from his sensitivity to structure and presence. As if imbued with soul through the designer’s thinking, and shaped by the warmth of repeated handcrafting, the chair becomes a vessel of ideas—something one may quietly converse with in solitude. Across time and geography, these works allowed Eric H. to draw closer to the design thinking and craft lineage of Danish master designer Finn Juhl. Over more than a decade, Eric gradually assembled thirteen series of designs, including four generations of the “FJ 49A Chieftain Chair,” the “FJ 44 Bone Chair,” and the “FJ 45,” regarded as one of the most beautiful armchairs in the world. The current collection exhibition, A CHAIR IN THE ROOM, held at Light on Shining Town in Taipei, invites visitors into a Japanese-style dormitory space still imbued with traces of the past, where stillness, light, and slow rhythm converge—allowing each chair to unfold its own quiet monologue.
➤ 《A CHAIR IN THE ROOM 椅子的獨白》在「光在錦町」
身為丹麥現代家具設計先驅的 Finn Juhl（1912–1989），與 Arne Jacobsen、Hans Wegner、Børge Mogensen 同為具有代表性的重要人物。對其作品的第一印象，便是那柔滑細膩的骨架，如人體線條般比例勻稱，雖結構方正卻仍不可思議的輕盈。這或許源自刻意將椅座與支撐骨架分離的設計，才使得座面有漂浮感的緣故。此舉打破當時家具厚實穩重的傳統輪廓，使實木結構既呈現出纖細的美感，同時依然穩固耐用。他受現代雕塑家Henry Moore 影響，使用人體雕塑語彙構思家具系統，這使他的早期作品不只具有欣賞性，更多半成為啟發後世的設計原型（Archetype），擁有無法複製的超然地位。於他而言，椅子若只停留在「舒適」上的追求，便仍在工具機能範疇，於是他更進一步探討「人與空間的關係」，使椅子的形式成為讓美學進入日常的媒介，無論使用、凝視或置於空間之中，都依然成立。
As one of the pioneers of modern Danish furniture design, Finn Juhl (1912–1989), alongside Arne Jacobsen, Hans Wegner, and Børge Mogensen, stands as one of the defining figures of his era. The first impression of his work is its smooth and refined structure—proportioned like the human body, yet paradoxically light despite its seemingly solid construction. This may stem from his deliberate separation of the seat from its supporting frame, creating a sense of levitation. This approach broke away from the heavy and solid language of furniture at the time, allowing solid wood structures to express both delicacy and durability. Influenced by modern sculptor Henry Moore, Juhl employed a sculptural language of the human body in constructing his furniture systems. As a result, his early works were not merely objects of appreciation, but archetypal designs that would influence generations to come, occupying an irreplaceable position in design history. To him, if a chair remained only within the pursuit of comfort, it still belonged to the realm of utilitarian function. He instead explored the relationship between people and space, transforming the chair into a medium through which aesthetics enters everyday life—whether used, observed, or simply placed within a space, it remains complete in its own right.
➤ 展場一隅
➤ 展場一隅
當將目光聚焦於 FJ 44 Bone Chair，這張發表於 1944 年的椅子，其外型因神似人體骨骼樣態而得名，正是 Finn Juhl 設計理念的最佳註解。設計將原本藏於皮革之下的木構骨架推至表面，此製作方式宛如解剖手術般精密，極度考驗工匠技藝。在缺乏現代風乾設備的 1940 年代，需耗時數月反覆手刨，並靜置木材以確保其穩定性。因製作難度極高，早期版本存世極少，現今已屬罕見收藏。此作珍貴之處，在於稀少的存世狀態，也在於它清楚標示出 Finn Juhl 木構語彙的一次轉折。然而當突破性概念成形後，才是困難的開始，另一張 2012 年重製版前的「Prototype 原型」，選用剛果雞翅木製作，並置陳列後便能理解：一件設計之所以經典，往往來自漫長推敲與反覆修正。如今，外露骨架、流動扶手與椅座下方的 V 型構造，皆成為 Finn Juhl 作品中的標誌性元素。
Turning attention to the FJ 44 Bone Chair, first introduced in 1944, its name derives from its resemblance to the human skeleton, serving as a perfect articulation of Finn Juhl’s design philosophy. The design boldly exposes the underlying structure beneath the leather upholstery, revealing the frame itself. The process resembles a precise surgical dissection, placing extreme demands on craftsmanship. In the 1940s, without modern drying equipment, each piece required months of repeated hand planing followed by prolonged resting to ensure the stability of the wood. Due to the extreme difficulty of production, early examples are exceedingly rare and are now regarded as highly scarce collector’s pieces. The work on display is significant for its rarity, as well as for the way it marks a decisive turn in Finn Juhl’s structural vocabulary. Another “Prototype” version predating the 2012 reissue, crafted in wenge wood from the Congo, further reveals how a design becomes iconic through sustained refinement over time. Today, the exposed structural frame, flowing armrests, and V-shaped support beneath the seat have all become defining elements of Finn Juhl’s design language.
➤ FJ 44 古巴桃花心木版本
➤ FJ 44 古巴桃花心木版本局部細節
➤ FJ44 2012 百年紀念版 Prototype
➤ FJ44 2012 百年紀念版 Prototype 局部細節
➤ FJ44 2012 百年紀念版 Prototype 局部細節
同樣軌跡也在傳奇的 FJ 49A Chieftain Chair 酋長椅上再現。設計靈感與埃及文物、非洲弓與盾牌意象，以及當時現代藝術對外來文化的觀看有關，因此線條極具張力；S 型輪廓如弓，椅背近似盔甲，扶手帶有盾牌意象，兩端向上延伸的線條則如角般收束，同時具備攻擊與防禦的衝突美感。這張椅子被視為丹麥設計的巔峰，於本次展覽中更可一次窺見五張不同版本的演變。其中，由 Niels Vodder 製作，使用巴西玫瑰木的版本尤其稀罕；因巴西玫瑰木今日已受保育與材料取得限制，早期作品的稀缺性也更為凸顯。而在拍得此珍稀版本後，Eric 於 2017 年的丹麥之行中意外拜訪了 Niels Vodder 後人，親身體會家具如何與生命共存，意識到物件的價值也來自那些承載時間、記憶與人的刻痕。此趟經歷促成他人生的再次轉折，從一位收藏者進而投入木工學習，透過材料與工序，徹底研究每顆螺絲、每處火印與榫接細節，只為更接近這位設計大師的思想與靈魂。
A similar trajectory can be seen in the legendary FJ 49A Chieftain Chair. Its references move between Egyptian antiquity, images of bows and shields, and the period’s broader fascination with cultures beyond Denmark. The chair’s lines carry intense tension: an S-shaped silhouette evokes the pull of a bow; the backrest suggests armour, while the armrests carry the posture of a shield. The upward-turning ends gather into horn-like details, giving the chair a charged balance between attack and defence. Regarded as one of the high points of Danish design, the exhibition presents five examples across different generations of its evolution. Among them, a version crafted by Niels Vodder in Brazilian rosewood is especially rare. With Brazilian rosewood now subject to conservation restrictions, the scarcity of early examples has become even more pronounced. After acquiring this rare piece, Eric unexpectedly visited the descendants of Niels Vodder during his 2017 trip to Denmark, gaining firsthand insight into how furniture coexists with life itself. The encounter sharpened his sense that an object carries its own form together with the time, memory, and people gathered around it. This experience marked a turning point in his life: from collector to practitioner, he began studying woodworking in depth—examining every screw, every branded mark, and every mortise-and-tenon joint—in search of a closer understanding of the philosophy and spirit of the master designer.
➤ 不同版本的 Chieftain Chair 酋長椅
➤ 酋長椅 Chieftain Chair｜早期 Niels Vodder 版本
➤ 酋長椅 Chieftain Chair｜Ivan Schlechter 版本
此次，被譽為世界上最美扶手椅的 FJ 45 Chair 也在展出之列。細看，椅座支撐橫撐向內收進結構，使座墊在視覺上懸浮於骨架之中，營造出空前輕盈的律動。整體線條幾乎不見直線，而是由連續流動的曲線與木材自然的粗細變化構成，兼顧柔韌與木構張力的造型，也使一張早期版本進入 Frank Lloyd Wright 所設計的「落水山莊」陳列脈絡，至今仍置於 Edgar Kaufmann Jr. 的三樓書房。Kaufmann Jr. 日後也成為推動 Finn Juhl 進入美國的重要人物。
In this exhibition, the FJ 45 Chair, often regarded as one of the most beautiful armchairs in the world, is also presented. A closer look reveals that the seat’s supporting structure is recessed inward, allowing the cushion to appear visually suspended within the frame, creating an unprecedented sense of lightness and rhythm. The overall form is almost devoid of straight lines, composed instead of continuous flowing curves and natural variations in the thickness of wood. This balance of flexibility and structural tension also led architectural master Frank Lloyd Wright to admire the piece and collect it at “Fallingwater.”
➤ FJ 45
漫步於光在錦町，在帶有住家氛圍感的歷史空間近距離目睹經典傑作，更能感受其不朽於時光的生命力。眼見VG還特地設計玻璃展台，由木作球體墊高，以呼應作品的「漂浮」特質，於細節處便能發覺藏家發自內心對作品的理解與珍惜。現場更設置手作展示區，展出 45 號椅扶手的半成品，讓觀眾親眼看見木料被刨製成有機曲線的過程。而在展覽期間首度販售的同名專書，則由 Eric 親自撰寫，作家蕭培絜擔任編輯，詳實紀錄著每一把椅子的故事與情感，陪伴讀者和Eric一起踏上這些年來的追尋旅程。
As one walks through Light on Shining Town, encountering these masterpieces within a historic residential atmosphere, their timeless vitality becomes even more palpable. The VG House has specially designed glass display stands elevated by wooden spheres, echoing the floating quality of the works. This attention to detail reveals the collector’s deep understanding and reverence for the pieces. A hands-on workshop area is also installed, displaying a partially crafted armrest of the FJ 45 Chair, allowing visitors to witness the transformation of raw wood into organic curves. Meanwhile, a monograph released for the first time during the exhibition—written by Eric himself and edited by writer Hsiao Pei-Chieh—documents in detail the stories and emotions behind each chair, accompanying readers and Eric on a journey of pursuit that has unfolded over the years.
➤《A CHAIR IN THE ROOM 椅子的獨白｜FINN JUHL 芬尤早期作品收藏展》策展人｜收藏家｜The VG House 創辦人 ERIC H.。攝影｜林鈺智 @zhinsomeplace