(Photo: Normand Robert)

The Best Bet

Why? Now that icons of mid-century modern design like Eames and Knoll are practically as pervasive as Ikea, it’s time to turn to more underappreciated names. The industrial, reductivist furniture of Denmark’s Poul Kjaerholm (1929–1980) put him in the Museum of Modern Art, but he’s never had an American retrospective—until now. From December 10 to January 22, R Twentieth Century displays more than 50 pieces, including this sculptural candelabra ($7,500; 212-343-7979 or R20thCentury.com). Measuring almost four feet high, the helixlike shape holds 33 tapers, and is suspended from the ceiling using monofilament (also known as fishing line). Kjaerholm was best known for his elegant chairs, but the clean, metallic lines of the candelabra epitomize an aesthetic that’s closer to Bauhaus than the work of most of his Scandanavian contemporaries.