The collection
Set of steel flatware. Small and large forks, a knife, and small and large spoons.
2004

Flatware Place Setting

Designed by
Jean Nouvel (born 1945)
Material
Stainless steel
Produced by
Georg Jensen, Copenhagen, Denmark
Dimensions
Knife: 22.5 x 1.8 cm

The Liliane and David M. Stewart Program for Modern Design, the Liliane and David M. Stewart Collection, 2008.22.1–5

The Georg Jensen firm, like Alessi, commissioned famous architects to design its products, using their celebrity to increase sales. French architect Jean Nouvel, known for experimental buildings throughout the world and a winner of the Pritzker Prize, has given his attention to a seemingly minor example of design—everyday flatware.

The set is reminiscent of similar flatware by midcentury architect Arne Jacobsen. Nouvel’s design is noteworthy for its futuristic shapes and its clean, sharp lines. The pointed spoons are unusual and dramatic, as is the knife, shaped in a single elegant swoop.

The Stewart Program for Modern Design, photo: Denis Farley. © Jean Nouvel / SOCAN (2019).