Born in 1924, Bent Knudsen was a Danish artist whose name and style can only be said to be on the same level of quality and craftsmanship as Georg Jensen. Knudsen’s education in silver ostensibly began with the workshop of C.M. Cohr, the renowned silversmith.
At the time of Knudsen’s apprenticeship, Cohr was one of the largest silversmiths in Fredericia and indeed in Denmark. The modern pieces produced by Cohr are distinct with a minimalist and almost static liquid quality that can be seen even more prevalently in Knudsen’s own work, which he later produced as an independent silversmith.
After completing his initial training with Cohr, Knudsen continued his smithing journey with Hans Hansen’s workshop in Kolding. Hansen’s name is a byword for flow in geometric shapes, creating iconic triangular bracelets and necklaces, a form that Knudsen would also adopt and adapt in conjunction with the techniques he would carry over from Cohr. After ten years with Hansen, Knudsen left the workshop to strike out on his own.
Crafting in silver and crafting in paper have a lot of overlap, to the point where many silversmiths and jewellers will create their initial designs in paper and then execute them finally in precious metal. For Knudsen, this translated firstly into designing and creating paper cutouts, which developed into Christmas ornaments and mobiles. These objects caught on quickly and are still highly collectible works of art.
Within four years, Knudsen’s name and business had achieved international success, and it was time to call back to his original silversmithing abilities and training.
Knudsen’s new line of silverwork focused on pieces with flowing geometric shapes, classically Danish, and often included gems such as amethyst. A stunning example of his work can be seen in June 2025's Jewellery auction, a silver and amethyst torc necklace. This piece is shaped as a continuous flowing piece of silver with bullet-shaped amethyst terminals that overlap elegantly between the clavicles.
His work is appreciated and displayed in institutes such as the British Museum, and the appeal of Knudsen is in the clean, modern, yet classically chic aesthetic that promises to be just as relevant in 20 years as it was in the 1950s.
