Karl Gustav Hansen

Karl Gustav Hansen was born on December 10th, 1914 in Kolding, Denmark. His father, Hans Hansen, had made the city renowned for silver through his silversmithy, and the designs of Thorovald Bindesboll, Joakim Skovgaard, and Svend Hammerhoj. Much attention however was instead on Copenhagen with Kaj Fisker, Georg Jensen, and many other artisans in a variety of fields had gathered.

While growing up, Karl Gustav Hansen had shown great promise in the craft and quit school at a very early age to apprentice as a a silversmith under Einar Olsen, whom joined Hans Hansen to develop their expanded hollowware line during the 1930's, following in his father's footsteps, whom first apprenticed as a smith of cutlery.

The most notable aspect of Karl Gustav Hansen's designs are their form, which not only serves their function well, but also inhabits the space around them, giving a sculptural aspect to them, and combine strong masculine features with graceful feminine curves. With a natural flowing aspect to them, and a shape that lends itself to enhancing the silver with which they are created, showcasing the beauty inherent in the material. Every aspect including the joints, handles, and spouts of his hollowware not only become part of the overall design but in an almost decorative way, enhance the overall form.

In line with many of the other well known designers of the 1950's, Karl Gustav Hansen embraced the ideals of functionalism, creating items in the simplest most pure forms rendered in an aesthetic beauty all of their own. Practicality and strong design as well as "maximizing the development" of the material are inherent in all his designs.

Much of his inspiration perhaps came from the other artists of his time, as in the nearby town of Kolding, at Kobestaevnet, many of the silversmiths of A Michelsen, Hingelberg, Georg Jensen, and Hans Hansen would display the best of their abilities. Much of the Georg Jensen stand was featuring the works of Harald Nielsen at the time, whom was also ahead of his time in matters of design, developing some pieces with simpler forms with strong geometric themes, and perhaps this had in some way helped to inspire. Also an admired or Johan Rhode, one can see the strength of his designs shared in their forms. His time at the School of Sculpture also had its influence, which can be viewed in the sculptural aspect to his designs as well as his later works with artists of the craft. However, unlike Henning Koppel, whom he met during his apprenticeship, Karl Gustav Hansen's design have a far more technical aspect to them, showcasing the craftsmanship on the forms rather than Henning Koppel's freeform and highly sculptural shapes and during the 50's, his designs took on tighter forms, and emphasized the clear polished surfaces the silver had to offer.

His designs would start off in rough sketches, often more or less notations for his own use, following with models cast in various materials, including plaster of paris, of which some of the models still exist. Taking great note to the thicknesses of the pieces, often creating thicker edges to allow for greater endurance of wear, his designs, especially in church silver, have been meant to last many years through use, and even through age enhancing in beauty.