Mid-century furniture and it’s not Scandinavian
Moveis Cimo, Cupboard, 1950, solid wood and leather padded handles, photo: ana cristina paschoal alves
It’s not Scandinavian but Brazilian mid-century furniture that is on show in Berlin until 5 May 2012. As well as mid-century items the exhibition features furniture from the 1980s onwards.
Móveis Cimo, which produced the cupboard (pictured above), became one of the largest furniture factories in Latin America between the 1930s and 1970s. Established in the 1920’s by brothers Jorge and Martin Zipperer in the Brazilian state of Paraná the company started as a wooden boxes factory together with a sawmill.
OSCAR NIEMEYER, Rio chaise,1978-1979, photo: andre nazareth for mercado moderno
Oscar Niemeyer, (pictured below) still active at the age of 104, is also in the show with the Rio chaise that he designed in 1978. Brazil’s most renowned architect is probably most famous for designing the government buildings in Brasilia, 1956-1960. In the 1970’s, while exiled in France, Niemeyer started to dedicate himself to furniture design in partnership with his daughter, Anna Maria Niemeyer.
JOSÉ ZANINE CALDAS, Linha Z armchair, 1950′s above and Jose (pictured below)
Envisaging the potential industrialization in the country, Zanine and Sebastião Pontes founded the company ‘Z Artistic Furniture’ at the end of the 1940’s. The intention of this venture was to use plywood to produce modernist style furniture at affordable prices for the middle classes.
In 1964, persecuted by the military regime, Zanine traveled to other parts of South America and Africa where he developed a strong appreciation of the value of local craftsmanship.
JERZY (JORGE) ZALSZUPIN, Desk, 1958
Fascinated by Brazilian architecture, the Polish born architect, Jorge Zalszupin decided to move to Rio de Janeiro in 1949 and later concentrated on furniture design.
JOAQUIM TENREIRO, pictured below and his chair produced in 1950 above.
Tenreiro is considered the pioneer of modernist Brazilian furniture design.
He supported the idea that Brazilian furniture should have a ‘lightness of form’ a lightness that had nothing to do with the weight itself but rather with elegance and functionality.
Below are some of the new pieces that feature in the 1980s onwards period of Brazilian design.
SÉRGIO MATOS, Balaio chair, 2011
CARLOS MOTTA, Braz armchair, 2006, reclaimed solid wood
CARLOS MOTTA, Radar chair, 2008, photo: romulo fialdini
ZANINI DE ZANINE, Pássaros shelves, 2008
23 March – 5 May 2012
stilwerk Mall & Galerie Zeitlos
Mon – Sat | 10am – 7pm | free
Kantstraße 17 10623 Berlin – D
