Japan’s Largest Hans Wegner Retrospective to Exhibit 100+ Chairs From a Storied Collector

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Summary

  • Late Danish designer Hans Wegner’s largest-ever retrospective in Japan will be held at the end of 2025.
  • The exhibition will feature more than 160 pieces from the renowned ODA Collection, a private archive curated by chair collector Oda Noritsuga.

Despite Hans Wegner’s mid-century chairs still being popular worldwide, one of his most devoted archivists resides far from Denmark in Japan. Oda Noritsugu, who won the 2015 “The 1st Hans J. Wegner Award,” is thought to have the largest private chair collection globally, focusing on Scandinavian Modernism. Later this year, this renowned collector will display Wegner’s most extensive Japanese retrospective at Shubuya’s Hikarie Hall.

1) The collection of Hans Wegner chairs, amassed by the chair researcher and currently in the possession of Higashikawa Township, is set to contribute over 160 authentic pieces for Japan’s largest retrospective on the renowned Danish designer. With a lifelong output of more than 500 designs, from the iconic Wishbone Chair (1950) to the curvaceous Shell Chair (1963), Wegner left an indelible mark as one of the most impactful design visionaries during the mid-century movement. The details of the exhibition are yet to be unveiled, but Bunkamara, the organizer, has hinted that it will display four distinct versions of “The Chair,” including Wegner’s original prototypes and a vintage model featuring a rattan-wrapped upper rail.

From December 2, 2025, to January 18, 2026, the Hans Wegner Exhibition from The ODA Collection will take place at Hikarie Hall, Shibuya Hikarie 9F, located at 2-21-1 Shibuya, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo. More information about tickets and entry can be found on the Bunkamura website closer to the event.

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2025-06-04 00:25