Danish Modern "Z" Lounge Chairs and Ottoman by Poul Jensen

The oil paintings of the contemporary Dutch artist Paul Jansen invites the viewer to look beyond the standard picture within the frame. It feels as if the curious animal really reaches out of the frame, as if the viewer stands face-to-face with the cow. It gives the paintings extra liveliness — the calf really looks at you, as if he wants to make contact and step out of his frame. The beautiful eyes and the soft whiskers make the cow extra touchable.

Jansen started his artistic career as a photographer. The influence of photography is surely traceable in his realistic portraits with unique compositions and extreme framing. For what has already been a number of years, the cow is an important subject in the work of Jansen. The animal’s unpretentious sense of being and its quirky, sometimes absurd shapes fascinate the artist. Unlike the function of cattle animals in past decennia painting, Jansen does not frame the cow as embellishment of landscape. He frames a single animal in all of its uniqueness and detail, often even with no room for landscape.

The backgrounds of the portraits radiate serenity and peace in their almost abstract flatness. The background contrasts with the liveliness of the animal, painted in great detail. Jansen creates an intriguing play of color and form and of abstractness and realism, to let the nature of the cow be fully appreciated.

Find original Paul Jansen animal paintings and other art on 1stDibs.

(Biography provided by De KunstSalon)

As an importer and producer, the Selig furniture company helped popularize timeless and elegant postwar designs in the United States.

Selig created Danish-inspired chairs, sofas and other furnishings for the home that were cutting-edge, contemporary and airy. The brand was also among the first to introduce Scandinavian and European modern styles to Americans in the 1950s and 60s. The company imported and manufactured furniture known for its extraordinary design and style using high-quality, enduring and seductive materials.

Selig was founded in 1931 by Mandell Selig and Samuel Wexler. The pair started the business during the challenging economic times of the Great Depression prior to World War II. By the 1960s, under the leadership of Wexler's son, Robert, Selig peaked with manufacturing factories in five American cities.

Selig’s importing business had a meaningful impact on Italian furniture manufacturers. Wexler, the junior, had a hand in advancing and growing the manufacturing sector of the country’s Udine region. Due to this contribution, the Italian government saw fit to knight Robert Wexler with the title of “Cavaliere.”

After nearly four decades of influencing seating and lounging preferences in the United States with sophisticated mid-century modern and Scandinavian modern furniture — including its own chrome rocking chairs and leather club chairs — Selig sold to Simmons, the mattress company, in 1970, thus dissolving. Much of what they produced and imported is still available despite no longer being manufactured, and many collectors seek original Selig furniture.

On 1stDibs, find an array of vintage Selig furniture that includes lounge chairs, armchairs, tables and more.