Allerod, Denmark - Republic of Fritz Hansen™ introduces for the first time, the Ant™ chair in full dark stained Oak veneer with dark stained edging, in honor of the designs 60th Anniversary in 2012.

The Ant chair designed by Arne Jacobsen in 1952, originally for the canteen at the Danish pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk, is referred to as being the point of departure for Jacobsen's most important pieces of furniture design.

The first in a line of successful Stacking chair designs such as the Series 7™, Grand Prix™ and Lily chair™, the Ant chair was one of the first chairs to be manufactured out of a single piece of molded plywood; a revolutionary manufacturing technique at that time.

Manufactured by steam bending nine layers of wood veneer, the Ant chair design pushed the properties of wood to its absolute limit. The characteristic narrow waist, which gave the chair its name 'Ant', was a technical requirement in order to press the double curved chair in one sheet of veneer.

The Ant chair continues to be manufactured today with the technique since 1952. Previously only ever available with a natural beech edging, the new Ant anniversary edition features a dark stained edging which is applied delicately by hand.

The dark stained edge highlights the organic contours of the Ant chair design, a characteristic that is reminiscent of the movement in furniture design and art during the 1950's. Today the Ant chair is considered a Danish design icon and one of Fritz Hansen's best-selling designs.

The anniversary edition with dark stained edging will be available from Fritz Hansen's collection and authorized dealers as of October 2012.