ARNE JACOBSEN (1902-1971)

The functionalist AJ660 flatware pattern was designed to co-ordinate with furniture and other fittings in Copenhagen's flagship SAS Royal Hotel, designed in 1957 and opened in 1961. Devoid of all ornament, Jacobsen's stainless-steel utensils instead emphasised a sculptural presence enhanced by their tapering silhouette. Exhibited at the Milan XI Triennale of 1957, Jacobsen's flatware achieved critical success. Manufactured initially by A. Michelsen, the flatware was retailed to the public during the 1960s and 1970s before production and distribution was assumed by Georg Jensen. The futuristic styling of the service ensured that it was selected for use on board the spacecraft in Stanley Kubrick's 1968 science-fiction film 2001: A Space Odyssey .