1926 – 2026
A hundred years of Verner Panton
To mark the 100th birthday of Verner Panton, VERPAN presents a visual timeline of its collection, seen through the lens of Casper Sejersen.
This timeline traces how Verner Panton’s work marked the rhythm, color, and experimentation of each decade—revealing design not as a static object, but as an expression of cultural movement.
Early 1960s
A New Space Age Sensibility
The early 1960s were shaped by postwar optimism, rapid scientific progress, and a collective fascination with the future. As John F. Kennedy articulated the ambition of a moon landing and films such as 2001: A Space Odyssey by Stanley Kubrick began to take shape, modernism gradually shifted toward futurism.
This spirit of experimentation extended into design, where space-age aesthetics transformed architecture, furniture, and interiors. New materials such as plastics, fiberglass, and aluminum enabled lighter, more fluid forms, while shapes inspired by orbits, capsules, and modular systems embodied the era’s belief in progress, mobility, and life in motion.
Against this backdrop, the Moon Lamp (1960) emerged as a sculptural study in light, while Barboy (1963) captured the period’s confidence in modularity and a future defined by movement.
Mid-1960s
Experimentation, Color, and Lifestyle
By the mid-1960s, culture began to loosen its formality. Pop Art challenged established artistic conventions through figures such as Andy Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein, while music by The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Pink Floyd, and Jimi Hendrix reshaped youth identity and expanded approaches to sound and expression. Cinema embraced color, freedom, and new narrative forms, reflecting a broader turn toward experimentation and sensory engagement.
Verner Panton responded with designs that reflected this cultural shift: the Fun Series (1964) emphasized rhythm and movement, the Easy Series (1964) reflected new approaches to relaxed, social interiors, and the Series 270 F (1965) expressed an architectural mindset focused on flexibility and modern living.
Late 1960s
Total Environments & Radical Design
The late 1960s erupted with counterculture, psychedelic art, and social revolution. Experimental films, underground music scenes, and events like Woodstock transformed collective experience. Artists explored perception through light, color, and repetition, while design moved beyond objects toward immersive environments.
At the same time Verner Panton created some of his most memorable interiors and designs through the Spiegel Lamp (1969), which played with reflection and optical illusion, the Cloverleaf Sofa (1969), a conversation starter, and the VP Globe Pendant (1969)—a transparent, floating form that captured the decade’s faith in technology and shared utopian futures.
1970s
Fluid Living & New Materials
In the 1970s, interiors became more informal and flexible. Improved home stereo systems encouraged longer periods of listening and socializing at home, changing living rooms from formal reception spaces into places for everyday use. Design responded with furniture and lighting that supported relaxed postures, softer spatial layouts, and lighter visual structures.
Verner Panton’s Wire Lamp Series (1972) used an open metal framework to reduce visual weight while maintaining structural clarity. The System 1-2-3 Series (1973) was developed to accommodate different sitting positions, with extended seat and back elements that encouraged informal use rather than upright, formal seating.
1980s
Refinement and New Directions
By the 1980s, cultural expression shifted toward clarity, precision, and visual impact. Music moved into New Wave and synth-driven pop, led by artists such as Talking Heads, New Order, Depeche Mode,Blondie, and Pet Shop Boys. Production became cleaner, rhythms sharper, and visual identity—through album covers and music videos—central to artistic expression.
Cinema followed a similar direction, favoring strong silhouettes, controlled compositions, and stylized narratives. Films such as Blade Runner (1982) and Paris, Texas (1984) emphasized atmosphere, graphic clarity, and iconic imagery.
Within this refined cultural context, Verner Panton’s Pantop Series (1980) distilled into a simple, bell-shaped form. Confident and restrained, the design reflected the decade’s shift toward accessible elegance and clear, recognizable forms.