Could there be a Danish-Retro Revival on the Horizon?
Sunday, June 13, 2010 at 7:41PM | Neill Archer Roan | Permalink tagged Alex Florov, Bruce Weaver, Danish Retro, Jørn Micke, Kei Gotoh | in Artisanal Pipes 
Danish-Retro Dublin by Alex FlorovShare
It has been just over a month now since the 2010 Chicago Show occurred. In the intervening month I have given a lot of thought to a question that is, for me, one of the most important questions any collector considers: “Where is pipe design and shape language going next?”
Calla Lily Pierced by the Artist’s Brush by Alex FlorovOver the last five years there have been any number of fashionable movements inside the artisanal pipe world. Since Kei Gotoh’s initial inspiration, we’ve seen a plethora of bamboo-pierced pipes with shapes ranging from flowers to sea creatures.
We’ve seen a number of variations on Bo-Nordh themes, too – nautiluses, horns, Ramses, sphinxes, and lately Swedish tomatoes. Likewise, as Jess Chonowitsch pipes have become scarce and precious, a number of artisans have borrowed his shape language, and signature flourishes, as well.