Piet Hein, designer

Piet Hein

Piet Hein (1905–1996) was a Danish polymath, who worked as a poet, architect, designer, mathematician, inventor as well as game designer. Growing up in Copenhagen, Hein was driven by a widespread interest in the world: he studied art, philosophy and theoretical physics in various schools, but never completed a degree. During World War II, he joined the Danish resistance movement against Germany and began publishing popular aphorisms called “grooks” under the pseudonym Kumbel Kumbell – during his career, he wrote more than 10,000 grooks in total.

Piet Hein has designed pieces for the following brands:

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After the war, Hein became known for launching the superellipse, a geometric form combining an ellipse and a rectangle, which he used in the Sergel Square roundabout in Stockholm as well as in various furniture and product designs. Hein received many awards for his work, such as the Aarestrup Medal, the Danish ID Prize and honorary doctorates from the Yale and Odense Universities.