Knoll's first designer
Jens Risom was born in Copenhagen in Denmark on 8 May 1916. He was educated in Denmark at the Krebs School, St. Anne Vester School, the University of Copenhagen and the Kunsthåndværkerskolen in the Danish capital. In 1941, he met Hans Knoll and became the furniture manufacturer's first designer.
He worked as a furniture designer and interior architect in the Copenhagen office of architect Ernst Kuhn. After moving to the United States, he became design director at Dan Cooper in New York and also created designs for Georg Jensen. Many designs up to the mid-20th century bear his signature.
Risom was also a trustee of the Rhode Island School of Design and was knighted by Queen Margrethe of Denmark in 1996. He died in the USA on 9 December 2016.
