The sculptor and painter Pedro Friedeberg worked in a richly detailed, Surrealist and eccentric artistic style that blended influences from neoclassical art, M.C. Escher and native Mesoamerican symbolism. He was best known for his Hand chair — a functional sculpture that is an icon of design-as-art.
Friedeberg was born in Florence to German parents and moved with his mother to Mexico at the outset of World War II. As a university student in Mexico City in the 1950s, he initially studied architecture, but his designs for fantastical buildings ran afoul of his rationalist, Bauhaus-oriented teachers.
By chance, Friedeberg’s drawings came to the attention of Mathias Goeritz, the German-born Dadaist painter and sculptor. He encouraged Friedeberg and made him a protégé. Friedeberg credits his mentor for instilling in him a fanatical attention to detail in his work. Friedeberg produced his first Hand chair in 1961, and has since created numerous iterations. He has also made several variants using other human limbs in different functional forms such as tables and clocks.
While Friedeberg’s sculptures have a gentle character that is sometimes described as spiritual, his paintings and prints are something entirely different. He employs deep perspective to create hypnotic, painstakingly rendered canvases that suggest rooms and cityscapes.
Whatever the medium, Friedeberg’s work is arresting and instantly recognizable. The Hand chair, though familiar, remains a captivating piece — both furniture and artwork — that stands apart in any interior. Examples are often priced between $20,000 and $30,000, depending on formal variations (such as a foot-shaped pedestal), material and condition. Smaller functional items such as tabletop clocks bring about $9,000. His paintings and drawings require space; they are meant to be contemplated. Prices on original examples start at about $30,000; prints generally sell in the region of $900.
As you will see on 1stDibs, the art and design of Pedro Friedeberg is singular and memorable.
$2,250
El Siglo de Pericles, Hand Signed Serigraph, Custom Framed, Edition 5/42
By Pedro Friedeberg
Located in Aventura, FL
Serigraph in colors on paper. Hand signed lower right by Pedro Friedberg. Hand numbered 5/42 lower left. Framed as pictured in the signature Friedeberg striped gold leaf frame. S...
Paper, Screen
Amazonas Odiosonas, Hand Signed Serigraph, Custom Framed, Edition of 24
By Pedro Friedeberg
Located in Aventura, FL
Serigraph in colors on paper. Hand signed lower right by Pedro Friedberg. Hand numbered 2/24 lower left. Framed as pictured in the signature Friedeberg striped gold leaf frame. S...
Paper, Screen
Ferretería Canina II Digital Print, Surrealist Style, 2010s, Unframed
By Pedro Friedeberg
Located in Ciudad de México, MX
This unique serigraph by Surrealist artist Pedro Friedeberg is a vibrant, graphic commentary on repetition and pop culture. The name Ferretería Canina (which translates to "Canine Ha...
Digital
Chromaticorns II, Print, 80x80 cm, Mexican Surrealist Unicorns, 2020
By Pedro Friedeberg
Located in Ciudad de México, MX
Chromaticorns II, by Pedro Friedeberg - Print - 80 x 80 cm / 33.46 x 33.46 in - Mexican Surrealist Unicorns, c. 2020 Pedro Friedeberg is an artist and designer from Mexico of Ital...
Silver, Gold Leaf
$4,600
H 32 in W 24 in D 1 in
Salvador Dali "Daylily (Elephant)" Surrealist Etching, Signed, 1972
By Salvador Dalí
Located in Astoria, NY
Salvador Dali (Spanish, 1904-1989), "Hemerocallis Thumbergii Elephanter Furiosa" [Furious Daylily Elephant], Etching and Heliogravure in Colors on Arches Paper, 1972, from the "Flora...
Paper, Etching, Photogravure
$4,469
H 16.34 in W 14.97 in D 0.08 in
Le Satyre et le Passant - Etching by Marc Chagall - 1927/30
By Marc Chagall
Located in Roma, IT
Etching and drypoint on Montreal paper, belonging to the suite "Les Fables de La Fontaine" (table n.57). Published in 1952. Edition of 200, m...
Etching
Marino Marini - Horses - Original Lithograph
By Marino Marini
Located in Collonge Bellerive, Geneve, CH
Marino Marini - Horses - Original Lithograph 1951 Dimensions: 32 x 24 cm From the art review XXe siècle Unsigned and unumbered as issued
Lithograph
$9,408
H 41.34 in W 21.66 in D 0.04 in
Salvador Dali - Corrida - Vintage Poster with Etching
By Salvador Dalí
Located in Collonge Bellerive, Geneve, CH
Salvador Dali - Corrida - Vintage Poster with Etching Etching made behind a menu in Restautant Duran as a tribute dinner to Salvador Dali and his wife Ga...
Etching
$3,410
H 0.08 in W 27.56 in D 20.08 in
Leonor Fini, Sphinx Ariene, rare handsigned print
By Leonor Fini
Located in Saint-Didier, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
Rare print handsigned and numered by surrealist artist Leonor Fini, now rediscovered and inscreasingly esteemed with the movement of rediscovering art by women. It depicts a mytholog...
Paper
$225
H 28 in W 120 in
Vintage MOMA Francesco Clemente Museum of Modern Art 1986 dream myth poster
By Francesco Clemente
Located in New York, NY
This three-part work spanning 10 feet was printed from the plates of Francesco Clemente’s mythological landscape Untitled A on the occasion of the 1986 MoMA, New York show of Clement...
Lithograph, Offset
$716Sale Price|20% Off
H 20 in W 26 in
Beastie, Braniff International Airways Flying Colors Collection
By Alexander Calder
Located in Fairfield, CT
Artist: Alexander Calder (1898-1976) Title: Beastie, Braniff International Airways Flying Colors Collection Year: 1975 Medium: Lithograph on vélin d’Arches paper Size: 20 x 26 inches...
Lithograph
$1,036Sale Price|20% Off
H 20 in W 26 in
Sky Bird, Braniff International Airways Flying Colors Collection
By Alexander Calder
Located in Fairfield, CT
Artist: Alexander Calder (1898-1976) Title: Sky Bird, Braniff International Airways Flying Colors Collection Year: 1975 Medium: Lithograph on vélin d’Arches paper Size: 20 x 26 inche...
Lithograph
$470
H 21.66 in W 15.36 in D 0.04 in
The Flyer - Etching on Paper by Marcel Chirnoaga - 1969
By Marcel Chirnoaga
Located in Roma, IT
The Flyer is an original artwork realized in 1969 by Marcel Chirnoaga. Black and white etching. Hand signed and dated on the lower right margin. Numbered and titled on the lower l...
Paper, Etching
$1,200
H 40.5 in W 30 in
Rabbit in Hat, Surrealist Screenprint by Igor Galanin
By Igor Galanin
Located in Long Island City, NY
Artist: Igor Galanin Title: Rabbit in Hat Date: Circa 1985 Medium: Screenprint, signed and numbered in pencil Edition: 175, AP 30 Paper Size: 40.5 x 30 ...
Screen
"Valkiria over Burrs"
By Natalia Kolpakova 1
Located in Edinburgh, GB
Valkyria Over Burrs is a fantastical silk print by Natalia Kolpakova, portraying monkeys cavorting amid burrs and branches under a soaring Valkyrie in a vivid jungle canopy. A poetic...
Silk
$3,822
H 28.35 in W 36.23 in D 0.79 in
Salvador Dalì (1904-1989) - The Elephant and Jupiter's Monkey - Drypoint etching
By Salvador Dalí
Located in Varese, IT
Rare deluxe issue printed on extremely fine Japanese paper (hand colored in stencil). Limited edition, numbered 235/250 in lower left corner. Signed in pencil by artist in lower rig...
Paper, Watercolor, Drypoint, Etching
Sold
H 34.5 in W 34.37 in D 1 in
Codice Miguelito II, Hand Signed Serigraph, Custom Framed, Edition XVI/XXX
By Pedro Friedeberg
Located in Aventura, FL
Serigraph in colors on paper. Hand signed lower right by Pedro Friedberg. Hand numbered EE XVI/XXX lower left. Framed as pictured in the signature Friedeberg striped gold leaf fra...
Paper, Screen
Sold
H 33.62 in W 33.12 in D 1 in
Codice Miguelito III, Hand Signed Serigraph, Custom Framed, Edition IV/XXX
By Pedro Friedeberg
Located in Aventura, FL
Serigraph in colors on paper. Hand signed lower right by Pedro Friedberg. Hand numbered IV/XXX lower left. Framed as pictured in the signature Friedeberg striped gold leaf frame. ...
Paper, Screen
Estrategia del subconsciente
By Pedro Friedeberg
Located in Ciudad de México, MX
Estrategia del subconsciente is a striking and meticulously constructed work that stands out for its hypnotic interplay of patterns, optical depth, and symbolic repetition. The compo...
Color
Calendario Maya II
By Pedro Friedeberg
Located in Ciudad de México, MX
This serigraph is considered a masterpiece of Pedro Friedeberg's work, created around 1974. Its uniqueness is the profound intellectual and visual fusion of Mesoamerican cosmology wi...
Digital
Sold
H 30.32 in W 30.32 in D 0.79 in
Aves IV Mixed Media Artwork, Contemporary Silver, Unframed
By Pedro Friedeberg
Located in Ciudad de México, MX
Maestro Pedro Friedeberg's works take us to a universe where birds serve as metaphors for freedom and transcendence. Against a light, profound background, the birds rise in metallic ...
Silver
Sold
H 25.6 in W 25.6 in
"Ya conocimos a Diaghilev" 1975 screen print surrealist stair room red unicorn
By Pedro Friedeberg
Located in Ciudad de México, MX
The repetition of patterns and rhythm is present in almost every piece of Pedro´s work. The hybrid topographies that Pedro Friedeberg´s unclassifiable practice recreates we must rec...
Screen
Sold
H 25.2 in W 25.2 in
"Calendario Maya II" 1975 serigraphy print surrealist mayan calendar
By Pedro Friedeberg
Located in Ciudad de México, MX
The repetition of patterns and rhythm is present in almost every piece of Pedro´s work. The hybrid topographies that Pedro Friedeberg´s unclassifiable practice recreates we must rec...
Screen
Estamos de Acuerdo
By Pedro Friedeberg
Located in Cuauhtemoc, Ciudad de México
"We agree" (2 Horses) P/A, signed.
Screen
30 Gatos
By Pedro Friedeberg
Located in Cuauhtemoc, Ciudad de México
"30 Gatos" (30 Cats) Silkscreen Signed and Numbered. Frame dimensions: 26" x 26"
Screen
Zebras and pyramids
By Pedro Friedeberg
Located in Ciudad de México, MX
During the pandemic, the artist stayed for 4 months in Oaxaca on a beach called San Aguistinillo, where he developed the Sana Distancia (safe distance) c...
Cotton
Embossed Metallic Foil Serigraph Peacocks
By Pedro Friedeberg
Located in Surfside, FL
Pedro Friedeberg was born in Florence, Italy, 1936, to German-Jewish parents, He arrived in Mexico at the age of three. Having shown an early inclination for drawing and and sculptur...