# Kaare Klint artist context and auction value notes

Canonical page: https://appraisily.com/artist/kaare-klint/
Profile generated: 2026-05-10T03:07:54.993Z
Quality: high confidence, strong sources

## Artist identity

- Nationality: Danish
- Movements: Modern Danish furniture design
- Common media: furniture, architectural design

## About Kaare Klint

Kaare Klint (1888–1954) was a Danish architect and furniture designer widely regarded as the father of modern Danish furniture design. Active in the first half of the twentieth century, Klint shaped a design philosophy built on clean lines, carefully chosen materials, and exacting craftsmanship. He taught at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts, where he influenced a generation of Scandinavian designers who carried his principles into wider international recognition. Klint's work bridged traditional cabinetmaking and the emerging modernist sensibility, grounding functional form in measured proportions and honest construction. His furniture designs—particularly seating and storage pieces—remain benchmarks of Danish modern design and appear regularly in museum collections and the secondary market. Collectors encounter Klint's work through original mid-century productions, authorized reissues, and architectural commissions.

## Common works and media

Klint's most commonly encountered works include wooden chairs and lounge seating, cabinet furniture, and modular storage pieces in teak, oak, and mahogany. The Safari Chair and various dining and easy chairs designed for Rud Rasmussen and other Copenhagen workshops are well-represented in auction records. Architectural drawings and design prototypes also appear occasionally. Collectors may find both original mid-century productions and later authorized reissues by licensed manufacturers.

## Market and appraisal context

Kaare Klint's work has a mature and liquid secondary market spanning more than two decades. Appraisily's auction-record index tracks 420 total lots dating from March 2001 through April 2026, with 276 carrying a recorded realized price. The price distribution is wide but well-defined: the interquartile range runs from roughly $900 (25th percentile) to $10,800 (75th percentile), with a median near $2,800 and outliers reaching $85,000. The top of the market is anchored by early-production seating pairs at major houses—notably a pair of Model 5313 Easy armchairs that realized £56,250 at Phillips in September 2016 and a set of nine Model 4751 Red Chairs that realized €38,000 at Subastas Segre in September 2025. At the entry level, individual Safari Chair-and-stool sets and attributed pieces trade between €1,000 and €1,500 at regional Danish and Spanish houses. Liquidity is stable to growing, with 33 priced lots in the most recent twelve-month window versus 28 in the prior period. The house roster includes blue-chip names (Christie's, Sotheby's, Phillips, Bonhams, Wright) alongside strong Scandinavian and Continental specialists (Bruun Rasmussen, Svendborg Auktionerne, Pierre Bergé & Associés, Tajan, Piasa, Setdart, Los Angeles Modern Auctions). The market is dominated by furniture—seating, desks, tables, and storage pieces—with occasional lighting and architectural works appearing.

## Auction-house-backed market evidence

Kaare Klint's work has a mature and liquid secondary market spanning more than two decades. Appraisily's auction-record index tracks 420 total lots dating from March 2001 through April 2026, with 276 carrying a recorded realized price. The price distribution is wide but well-defined: the interquartile range runs from roughly $900 (25th percentile) to $10,800 (75th percentile), with a median near $2,800 and outliers reaching $85,000. The top of the market is anchored by early-production seating pairs at major houses—notably a pair of Model 5313 Easy armchairs that realized £56,250 at Phillips in September 2016 and a set of nine Model 4751 Red Chairs that realized €38,000 at Subastas Segre in September 2025. At the entry level, individual Safari Chair-and-stool sets and attributed pieces trade between €1,000 and €1,500 at regional Danish and Spanish houses. Liquidity is stable to growing, with 33 priced lots in the most recent twelve-month window versus 28 in the prior period. The house roster includes blue-chip names (Christie's, Sotheby's, Phillips, Bonhams, Wright) alongside strong Scandinavian and Continental specialists (Bruun Rasmussen, Svendborg Auktionerne, Pierre Bergé & Associés, Tajan, Piasa, Setdart, Los Angeles Modern Auctions). The market is dominated by furniture—seating, desks, tables, and storage pieces—with occasional lighting and architectural works appearing.

### Appraisal notes

Appraisily uses these auction records as comparable-sale evidence alongside the details a collector provides—photographs showing construction joinery, maker marks, and label condition; measured dimensions; wood species and upholstery material; edition or production date indicators; condition reports noting repairs, replacements, or patina; and any provenance documentation such as original purchase receipts, gallery invoices, or estate records. The 276 priced lots in the index give a strong statistical baseline for seating, cabinet furniture, and tables. For rarer categories such as lighting or architectural drawings, the comparable pool is thinner and appraisals should flag wider uncertainty. A formal appraisal would select the closest comparables by model number, material, condition grade, and sale venue, then adjust for date-of-sale currency differences and market-trend shifts between the comparable sale date and the valuation date.

### Valuation factors

- Original period production versus later authorized reissue is the single most important value driver; early Rud Rasmussen editions command a significant premium over posthumous reissues.
- Model designation matters: the Model 5313 Easy armchair, Model 3758 Barcelona/Red Chair, and Model 4751 Red Chair series are the most tracked and valuable lines; pairs and sets multiply value beyond per-unit pricing.
- Provenance linking a piece to a documented commission, institutional collection, or Klint's Royal Danish Academy circle adds measurable value.
- Condition of wood, upholstery, and leather is critical; auction listings routinely note wear, patina, and replacement upholstery as value detractors.
- Maker marks, manufacturer labels (especially Rud Rasmussen paper labels), and construction details are the primary attribution tools since Klint furniture is not signed.
- Material choice affects value: Cuban mahogany, ash, and oak are the most commonly noted woods; original oxhide or cowhide upholstery on Safari Chairs is prized.
- Currency and geographic market matter: Danish-market lots priced in DKK tend to settle lower than equivalent works in EUR, GBP, or USD at international houses.
- Attributed-to lots typically trade at a steep discount compared to fully attributed pieces with maker labels or documented provenance.

### Collector notes

- Kaare Klint furniture is among the most reliably liquid segments of mid-century Scandinavian design. Collectors entering the market should expect to pay roughly $900–$2,800 for individual Safari Chairs and common dining chairs in fair-to-good condition, $3,000–$11,000 for better-preserved seating and desk pieces, and significantly more for rare pairs, large sets, or early-production examples at Phillips, Christie's, or Sotheby's. Buyers should verify Rud Rasmussen maker labels and examine joint construction to distinguish original production from later reissues. Safari Chairs with original oxhide upholstery are a relatively accessible entry point but condition varies widely; check auction listings for specific wear notes. For sellers, presenting pieces with clear provenance and clean condition photography is essential—attributed-to lots trade at a notable discount. The market shows stable liquidity with 30+ lots crossing the block annually across both Scandinavian regional houses and international design-sale specialists.

### Market caveats

- Price data is multi-currency (USD, EUR, GBP, DKK) and spans 2001–2026; nominal prices have not been inflation-adjusted or currency-normalized, so direct comparison across decades requires caution.
- Several lots in the recent sample carry no recorded realized price (noted as null), meaning the actual transaction price may differ from estimates or the lot may have been bought-in.
- Attribution quality varies: some lots are explicitly catalogued as 'attributed to' Kaare Klint, which typically implies lower confidence and a corresponding price discount versus fully documented pieces.
- The Appraisily auction-record index is derived from public auction feeds and may not capture every private sale or every regional auction house's results.
- Safari Chair values in the recent sample reflect reissued production pieces (purchased from the publisher in 2011) rather than original 1933-period examples, which would likely trade at higher levels.
- Klint's output includes both serialized furniture production and unique architectural commissions; the auction record skews heavily toward serialized pieces, and bespoke commissions may be underrepresented.

### Market evidence sources

- undefined: https://appraisily.com/api/scraper-search/artists/kaare-klint/seo-profile?recentLimit=24&relatedLimit=0
- undefined: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-kaare-klint-pair-of-early-easy-armchairs-model-no-5313-designed-1927-produced-from-1936-8-c-fbb43fa9c6
- undefined: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-kaare-klint-1888-1954-set-of-9-chairs-the-red-chair-model-4751-in-mahogany-wood-and-brown-leather-upholstery-1082-c-0ba4c64ad5
- undefined: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-kaare-klint-addition-sectional-sofa-146-c-22c469ea95
- undefined: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-kaare-klint-1888-1954-modele-5313-paire-de-fauteuils-acajou-et-cuir-patine-edition-rud-rasmussen-de-1936-date-de-creation-1927-h-22-c-d9743a0877
- undefined: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-kaare-klint-barcelona-chairs-model-3758-set-of-four-224-c-ca341baa9d
- undefined: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-kaare-klint-1888-1954-le-kint-editeur-suite-de-deux-lampadaires-en-noyer-base-circulaire-fut-fusele-bague-de-ressauts-ham-46-c-0794156b68
- undefined: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-kaare-klint-1888-1954-306-table-lampcirca-1945brass-bakelite-paper-shadeoverall-height-15-1-4in-38-5cm-diameter-of-shade-13-1-4in-33-5cm-129-c-fd9400aa6e
- undefined: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-kaare-klint-frederiksberg-1888-copenhagen-1954-for-rud-rasmussen-safaristol-chair-with-stool-design-1933-light-ash-frame-upholstery-in-cowhide-purchased-in-2011-from-the-publisher-with-slight-wear-and-patina-94-c-7984247bde
- undefined: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-kaare-klint-1888-1954-attribue-a-fauteuil-a-oreilles-en-chene-et-cuir-wingback-armchair-in-oak-and-leather-circa-1920-h-112-cm-l-72-cm-p-60-cm-1-c-261fc6d981

## Appraisily data basis

Appraisily artist pages combine artist identity research from authority files and biographical sources with auction records, auction-house context, sale dates, realized prices, and comparable lots when those records are available. For Kaare Klint, identity data is sourced from Wikidata, VIAF, the Library of Congress, and the RKD. Market observations are general until supplemented by specific sale data.

## Sources

- Wikidata: https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1374981
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kaare_Klint
- VIAF: https://viaf.org/viaf/436149106000068490236/
- Library of Congress: https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n80071226
- RKD — Netherlands Institute for Art History: https://rkd.nl/en/explore/artists/298753