NAIARA
NAIARA BR AZIL MODERN DESIGN
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OSCAR NIEMEYER JOAQUIM T ENREIRO SERGIO RODRIGUES LINA BO BARDI JOSE ZANINE CALDAS JORGE Z AL SZUPIN CARLO HAUNER & MARTIN EISLER GIUSEPPE SCAPINELLI BR ANCO & PRE TO CIMO
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OSCAR NIEME YER
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Oscar Ribeiro de Almeida de Niemeyer Soares (1907- 2012) was an architect and urbanist. He graduated from the Escola Nacional de Belas Artes (ENBA), in Rio de Janeiro in 1934 and started working in the office of architect and urbanist Lucio Costa (1902-1998) that same year. In 1958, he was appointed chief architect of Brasília, where he moved and remained until 1960. Niemeyer's most important projects include Ibirapuera Park, São Paulo, 1951; School of Architecture of Algiers, Algeria, 1968; the Headquarters of Editora Mondadori, Milan, Italy, 1968 and the headquarters of L'Humanité, Saint-Denis, France, 1987. In 1970 Niemeyer, in collaboration with his only daughter Anna Maria Niemeyer, began producing furniture. The duo used natural materials including leather, straw wood and metal. His furniture design reminds you of his architecture, drawing heavily on soft forms, delicate curves and Brazilian identity.
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JOAQUIM T ENREIRO
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Joaquim Tenreiro (1928- 1992) was born in Melo, a small village in Portugal. Tenreiro’s father and grandfather were both carpenters by trade, so he learnt to work with wood as a child. He settled in Rio de Janeiro in 1928. In 1929, he studied drawing at the Portuguese Literary Lyceum, and in parallel at the Liceu de Artes de Ofícios. Tenreiro established himself as designer in 1942, when he received the first order of furniture for the residence of Francisco Inácio Peixoto, in Cataguases, Minas Gerais, designed by the architect Oscar Niemeyer (1907 - 2012). In 1943 he founded a furniture design company Langenbach & Tenreiro. His designs were distinguished by the sobriety and beauty of form and use of Brazilian hardwoods. The deep knowledge of wood allowed Tenreiro to obtain the best results and today his furniture is renowned for high quality as well as design.
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SERGIO RODRIGUES
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Sergio Rodrigues (1927 – 1994) has been dubbed the father of Brazilian furniture. Born in Rio de Janeiro he set himself apart with his quest to define Brazilian identity in modern design. A contemporary of Oscar Niemeyer and Lúcio Costa, his furniture was utilized in large scale in the construction of Brazil's capital Brasilia. In 1955, Rodrigues founded Oca, one of the most influential modern furniture companies in Brazil. His most famous work was the Sheriff's chair (1957). With it, Sergio Rodrigues effectively introduced Brazilian furniture design to the world at the IV Concorso Internazionale del Mobile competition in 1961. “The piece of furniture is not just the shape, not just the material which is made but also something inside it. It's the piece's spirit. It's the Brazilian spirit. It's the Brazilian furniture”, as Sergio Rodrigues himself describes his art.
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L INA BO BARDI
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Lina Bo Bardi (1914-1992) was born in Italy, but spent most of her working life in Brazil. She achieved iconic status as both a female architect and furniture designer, never content to be pinned down in any one category. Lina was inspired by modernism, and she designed most of her furniture to complement the public buildings she created. Lina’s chairs are built to a simple, pragmatic design and reflect the Brazilian climate and culture. She pioneered the use of plywood sheets, and eschewing upholstery, fashioned her chairs with light fabrics and leather. Lina designed furniture for “Studio de Arte Palma” in 1948-1951. It was produced by ‘Pau Brasil Ltd. The studio was a mastermind of three Italian immigrants: Pietro Maria Bardi, Giancarlo Palanti and Lina Bo Bardi. Their work is unique in a way that it connects international modern movement with local Brazilian crafts and materials.
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JOSE Z ANINE CAL DA S
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Born in Bahia, José Zanine Caldas (1918- 2001) started his career as an architect and scale modeler for Oscar Niemeyer and Lucio Costa, among others. In 1949, His discovery of compensated wood at University of Sao Paulo inspired him to create Móveis Z Artisticos, a factory with an objective to produce large scale, well-designed, affordable furniture based on the rational use of plywood sheets, in order to avoid material waste and minimize the need of skilled labor. In 1970s, in complete opposition to Moveis Z Artisticos industrialism, he adapts a more artisanal style and starts carving furniture from raw wood logs for his Moveis Denuncia series. Caldas was one of the first truly ecologically conscious artists; he worked with reclaimed timber for the creation of his custom furniture that would make up the interiors of his architectural commissions.
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JORGE Z ALSZUPIN
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Polish born and educated, Jorge Zalzupin (b. 1922) found inspiration in Oscar Niemeyer and Roberto Burle Marx’s works and in 1949 emigrated to Brazil. He established L’Atelier in 1959, which became one of the most important furniture companies in Brazil, growing to 300 employees and craftsmen. Zalszupin’s furniture is characterized by organic lines and elegant shapes, while using materials of the highest quality. He designed beautifully crafted furniture from "jacaranda" Brazilian rosewood and often incorporated metal structures in his works. Today designs like the Dinamarquesa chair, Petalas table alongside many others are considered Brazilian classics.
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CARLO HAUNER & MART IN EISL ER
Martin Eisler (1913-1977) and Carlos Hauner (1927-1996) were the founders of Forma in 1955. Eisler was born in Vienna, Austria, but his career in architecture began after his move to Argentina. Eisler met Carlo Hauner in Brazil (Italian emigrant himself), who previously created designs under Moveis Artesenal, in a Pau Brasil factory purchased from Lina Bo Bardi’s studio. With Forma they bid for some of the biggest mandates for furnishing Brasilia’s administrative buildings under the license from Knoll International. Forma is known for its elegant and curvy lines, use of Brazilian rosewood, as well as lacquered wood, glass, bronze and reed. Martin Eisler’s Reversivel chair is considered as one of the most iconic armchairs of the Brazilian modern design. Carlos Hauner himself left a legacy in upholstered furniture, such as now very popular Concha chair, which he designed in 1950. 17
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GIUSEPPE SCAPINEL L I
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Giuseppe Scapinelli (1891- 1982) was born in Modena, Italy, but chose Brazil as his second home. He became a successful furniture maker and retailer in 1950s in São Paulo with his furniture factory, Fábrica de Móveis Giesse. His style set him apart from the main industry players for its soft shapes and curvy lines. Casa e Jardim magazine once wrote "Scapinelli is a classic that remembers being modern or - if you prefer - a modern that does not forget to be classic.”
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BRANCO & PRE TO
Branco & Preto was an emblematic furniture store set up by a group of visionary young Brazilian architects in São Paulo in 1952. Jacob Ruchti, Miguel Forte, Roberto Afialo, Carlos Milan, Plinio Croce and Chen Y Hwa made up this avant-garde leaning group. They wanted a store which could sell modern furniture to complement their architectural designs. Branco & Preto’s house style was as bold and geometric as it was sober. Their tables, chairs and stools were designed with sleek modernist lines. They were flawlessly finished and for their time completely groundbreaking. Furniture production runs were always kept small. Instead, an emphasis was placed on high-quality workmanship and the use of the best Brazilian raw materials. Famous examples include the R3 and MF5 armchairs, the slat table and the Millan desk. 21
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CIMO
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Established in 1913 in Santa Catarina by Jorge Zipperer e Willy Jung, Moveis Cimo was largest furniture factory in Latin America from the 1930s to the 1970s. The company manufactured wood products ranging from orange boxes to chairs and wardrobes. In 1924 they sold 60,000 movie chairs and armchairs. In addition to scale, their competitiveness was also improved by innovation. In 1960’s they started the production of agglomerated wood fiber panels. Cimo specialized in office furniture, but they also made a few home furniture items, which now belong to a series of collectible design items.
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