Draft:Jack Denst

Jack came from a religious, hardworking and creative lineage. He was born August 17, 1923, in Chicago, one of nine children to Leonard and Josephine Denst. Prior to his birth, his family lived in Panama when his father worked on building the Panama Canal. Throughout his life Jack remained very close to his siblings. His sisters, Betty and Peggy, managed the accounting and office operations of his design firm. He never married or had children of his own. Upon his retirement, he supported his family’s ventures, funding the opening of Tabor Hill Winery for his nephew Leonard Olson and leaving his design empire to another, Tom Olson.  

Denst showed early artistic promise. He attended South Shore High School, where he was a member of the first graduating class and selected to design the school’s crest. He then enrolled in the Institute of Design (formerly The Chicago School of Design) on a scholarship endorsed by the acclaimed modernist and painter, Professor Laszlo’ Moholy-Nagy.

Consequently, World War II erupted and Denst was drafted. He served in the United States Army as a radar operator and draftsman, during which time he continued artistic studies at the University of Hawaii. Post-war, he earned a fine arts degree from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC.)

Jack proved to be prolific in numerous mediums: sand sculpting, drawings, collages, oils, and water color, but sculpture was his first love. The gallery at the famed Marshall Field’s Department Store exclusively sold his oxy-acetylene pieces. From 2017-2019, his nephew Tom showcased the entire private art collection at the Denst Gallery. This pop-up estate show offered tours of over 180 pieces of his private art works including his less-common charcoals, oils and mosaics. (9)

In 1946, with fellow creative Don Soderlund, the two started screen-printing wallcoverings in the basement of Jack’s parents’ home. (10) The business of Denst & Soderlund was born and their unique product was recognized immediately. Production soon moved to a warehouse space at 7355 S. Exchange Avenue in Chicago’s exclusive South Shore neighborhood. (5) Their clients quickly grew, but for conflicting interests Soderlund left after a decade. The Jack Denst Designs, Inc. was incorporated, and the design studio became known for large-scale patterns and daring color combinations that often-stayed years ahead of mainstream consumer trends. (11) For over 25 years, his firm maintained a flagship showroom at the Chicago Merchandise Mart serving as a global center for high-end design. (8) The new company was tagged ‘the most adventurous firm of the decade.’ His showrooms were celebrated as centers for ‘beautiful, dramatic and different’ wallcoverings and exotic fabrics often representing high-end materials like Winfield foil papers and Higgins Glass. His involvement with the Mart and the NeoCon (National Exposition of Contract Interior Furnishings) trade show was pivotal in establishing his reputation as an international leader in mid-century modern design. Denst wallcoverings could be found around the world in elegant hotels, discriminating private homes and public spaces with famous customers like Ethel Kennedy to Hugh Hefner, and installations from Las Vegas hotels to the Cultural Center of the Philippines in Manila. (9)

Showroom manager, Peg Callard expressed Jack’s passion as “…always wanting more.” (9) Jack pioneered several technical firsts. He screen-printed on industrial materials like steel, copper, glass and acrylic. He introduced the first free-hanging contemporary murals, and transparent inks to the screen-printing industry, allowing for more complex color layering than was possible with traditional single screens. Modern material grounds were utilized like gold, silver and bronze Mylar foils to create high-contrast reflective effects. Jack intentionally embraced “slight imperfections” in the lines of his art to give each design an exclusive, artisanal feel that distinguished it from mass-produced factory prints. Look close at his murals, you can find his name or initials hiding within the art itself. (9)

Denst enjoyed working with students and taught the use of wallcoverings, patterns and murals in interior design at universities such as Purdue and Standard University of Art and Architecture. (9)

Jack Denst was a transformative figure in the wallcovering industry, credited with evolving screen printing from a simple commercial process into a recognized art form. He was the recipient of 22 international awards from the American Institute of Interior Designers (AID). In 1967 he received their most prestigious Justin P. Allman Award for significant, positive, long-lasting contributions benefitting the industry. (12)

The State of Illinois proclaimed “Jack Denst Week” in 1980 to recognize his artistic legacy and impact on mid-century modern design and international notoriety for the State of Illinois. (4)

Architectural Digest Magazine featured cover stories of his personal residences in Chicago and Indiana. (3) House and Garden Magazine showcased the unique bachelor kitchen design of his Beverly Shores cliff dwelling home.

Denst teachings on interior design and the use of murals as an art form are expounded in Stanford University textbooks on Art and Architecture.

Denst’s influential work in mid-century modern design is featured in several seminal books and archival catalogs that document the history of American interior art and wallcoverings. Key books include: The Papered Wall by Leslie Hoskins; Art in Chicago by Maggie Taft and Robert Cozzolino; Making Design published by the Cooper Hewitt; Twentieth Century Design by Leslie Jackson; Rooted in Chicago a catalogue from the Art Institute of Chicago; The Confident Collector by Anne Gilbert. (1, 11)

Throughout his four-decade career, Jack Denst’s groundbreaking interior designs and vibrant personality made him a frequent subject of both local news and national high-style publications.  Denst was a prominent figure in the Chicago social and artistic scene, and his activities were regularly chronicled in major metropolitan dailies:

Chicago Tribune and Chicago Daily News: these publications extensively covered his design trends and personal lifestyle, including the famous lavish parties at his Lincoln Park townhouse. (7, 10)   Chicago Sun-Times: Denst, a world-renowned wallpaper designer and Bauhaus-trained artist, was a favorite subject for the famous “Kup’s Column” by Irv Kupcinet which tracked the “capers” and social movements of Chicago’s elite. A welcome patron of Chicago’s Playboy Club, Jack’s company printed the famous bunny wallpaper for Hugh Hefner. (9, 10)

Hollywood took notice of Denst classic art and his wallcoverings can be found in the movies: Play Misty for Me (1971), Used People (1992), Natural Born Killers (1994), That Thing You Do (1996), Bandits (2001), Judas and Black Messiah (2021) as well as several episodes of the TV show Supernatural. (9)

Denst wallcovering art is archived in world-renowned institutions, including the Smithsonian Institution-Cooper Hewitt, (13) the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. Additionally, a Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit (MOCAD) installation, The Russell Art Museum, Joslyn Museum of Art, and Park Forest Art Center. (9) Print publication chronicles are held by the Chicago History Museum for public viewing upon request. (7)

In 1992, Jack retired the company to his nephew and he moved to Sarasota, Florida. Still desiring social surroundings, he frequented local establishments and continued to create art to occupy his days. Holding close his religious upbringing, Jack continued as a devoted member of Church of the Incarnation, serving as an usher. However, his flamboyant lifestyle had now caught up with him and three times he was in and out of hospice. In 2009, entrepreneur Karen S. Brienzo bought the company and all the rights to the art from a then third-party owner. Brienzo visited Jack in Florida who was weak and in a hospital bed. She told him of her plans for the renewed Jack Denst company, and the possibilities using the latest technologies. For a while they sat in silence watching classic black and white movies and then he asked her to pray with him. (9)

Jack Denst, the iconic mid-century modern trailblazer, died one month later on September 7, 2009. (6)

References

1) Twentieth Century Pattern Design by Leslie Jackson

2) Making Design Cooper Hewitt

3) Architectural Digest archives

4) State of Illinois records

5) Jack Denst Design, Inc. wallcovering books owned by Millepora Corp

6) Obituary of John Raymond Denst, Krueger Funeral home

7) Newspaper clipping archives: housed at The Chicago History Museum

8) Merchandise Mart archives

9) Personal interviews and documents from Denst family members, employees, friends; Thomas A Olson (nephew), Leonard Olson (nephew), Beth Olson (great-niece), Jon Easton (artist), Peg Callard (friend and showroom manager), Virginia Phillips (friend, interior designer)

10) Chicago Tribune articles archived at the Chicago history Museum

11) The Papered Wall by Leslie Hoskins

12) Wallpaper Installers of America website

13) Making Design Smithsonian Cooper Hewitt