In the 1950s, while Scandinavian designers were paving the path with organic designs made of natural materials, architect Verner Panton (1926-1998) was concocting futuristic creations out of plastic with a Pop aesthetic. Born in Denmark, Panton was introduced early on to Danish design legends Pøul Henningsen and Arne Jacobsen. Henningsen introduced Panton to product design—Panton knew he wanted to be an artist and Henningsen helped him find his focus—and Jacobsen introduced him to Danish manufacturer Fritz Hansen, for whom Panton designed the Bachelor Chair and Tivoli Chair. Panton's boundary-pushing designs (inflatable furniture, chairs made of molded plastic) were capitalized by Vitra, who manufactured his Flying Chair and, perhaps Panton's most famous work, his eponymous chair. Over 40 years since its creation, the Panton chair rivals the Eames lounge chair in popularity among today's modern design enthusiasts.
