As I couldn't find one in a search, I thought I'd start a thread for common mid-century design misattributions. It would be good to have a list (with photo) of the most popular ones in one spot for handy reference. Hopefully there is some interest on this board to expand this to be of some use.
I'll go first. Although, most here already know this, this desk was not designed by Jens Quistgaard, but rather Peter Løvig Nielsen. It is often stamped "Lovig Dansk Design", but this mark has nothing to do with Quistgaard's Dansk brand. "Dansk" is simply the Danish word for "Danish". (photo from 1stDibs)
(edited to add:) It would also be good to include link references to previous DA threads on a particular piece, for those interested in additional info.
Yes those are real møllers
As in produced by J.L. Møller, but not if you mean designed by N.O. Møller. Attached is a vintage ad showing the Hovmand Olsen design credit, and a couple of catalog scans.
edit: adding this remark: If it is not generally considered to be established that the the 55 & 71 are correctly attributed to Arne Hovmand Olsen, I invite anyone to open another thread opening that discussion, and I will be happy to remove this post from this thread until it seems to be properly established either way. As I understand it this thread is not for "contested" attributions, but known false ones. That said I don't see any way to discredit Arne Hovmand Olsen for the chairs given the attached scans, and the strong similarity to the chair in the known oeuvre of Hovmand Olsen. And, I am sure there must be a story behind how the credit came to be changed. Probably it involved money, lawyers, and an angry architect.
Dan Johnson
The "Drumstick Chair", typically attributed to Kofod-Larsen (on the left), is actually the "Viscount Chair" designed by Dan Johnson, according to this ad. There are numerous correct attributions on the web, however this piece is more often than not, attributed to Kofod-Larsen.
and one that I learned from DA last year
Fredrik Schriever-Abeln, not Illum Wikkelsø, for this coffee table.
http://www.designaddict.com/design_addict/forums/index.cfm/fuseaction/th...
Not Willy Rizzo
This one is regularly described as Willy Rizzo or Willy Rizzo for Mario Sabot...It is Mario Sabot and nothing to do with Rizzo. I once emailed the Rizzo's about this and they seemed to insinuate there may have been some friction / legal issues between them and Sabot.
Also in this line are the sideboard and vitrine...the tell tale faceted corner pieces confirm should always identify these designs as Sabot.
Ps: This thread has so far cleared up two things for me....The Abeln coffee table which thankfully was the name we attributed to the one I am selling and the non Kofod chair by artsnot....thanks.
not Jean Prouvé but Jacques Hitier
Adjustable children's school desk mostly attributed to Jean Prouvé:
In a book called 'Jacques Hitier, Modernité industrielle' by Pierre Gencey is an old Mobilor catalogue which shows this version of the school desk:
The curved version appears to be by Mullca:
vintage brochures, magazines, books
back in the late 20th century (the 80's) when the mcm rage became retro, before the digital age of online (mis)information overload and muti-tasking, vintage brochures, design magazines, furniture books and museum exhibition catalogs published during the period where the only reliable reference or source of accurate information in terms of mcm design attributions. it seems antiquated and too old school to most people today to use real bounded stacks of paper collecting dust on the shelves of most public and school libraries as sources of accurate information. not too long ago being able to do research this way was a skill that someone has to develop before moving on to third grade level. it sad to say too that even the so called recent experts in the field who wrote magazine articles and published books about design in the last twenty years produced materials riddled with so many mcm design misattributions.
fortunately, there are still some people (like in this thread)who subscribe to this old fashioned method of sourcing accurate infornation and mcm design attribution.
I see these posted in my...
I see these posted in my area about once a month attributed to George Nelson. It's the famous American of Martinsville line with the inlaid X's on the surfaces. Ive seen Dressers, Nightstands, End/side tables, Sideboards and Dining tables that are part of this line.
THERE IS ABSOLUTELY NO EVIDENCE THAT GEORGE NELSON DESIGNED THIS LINE FOR AMERICAN OF MARTINSVILLE.
While the furniture is nice and relatively well made, dealers usually charge a premium based on the so-called George Nelson attribution.
Foxxy,
I am glad you posted that one, and I think you are right about your assertion. But given this is a thread partially about accuracy your statement
"THERE IS ABSOLUTELY NO EVIDENCE THAT GEORGE NELSON DESIGNED THIS LINE FOR AMERICAN OF MARTINSVILLE."
could use the addition "that I know of" in it. Otherwise, to me, it reads that you have personal knowledge all existing American of Martinsville documents related to this line and also all Nelson documents that could be related as well. Just a thought.
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