The Portugese-born furniture designer Joaquim Tenreiro was a pioneer of modernism in Brazil, where his work paved the way for the successes of such mid-20th-century design greats as Sergio Rodrigues, Jorge Zalszupin, and Lina Bo Bardi, an Italian-Brazilian architect whose futuristic São Paulo buildings are only part of her legacy.
Tenreiro’s vintage tables, chairs and storage cabinets are known for their simplicity of line and an elegance that is enhanced by the use of richly grained South American hardwoods such as jacaranda and imbuia.
Tenreiro’s father and grandfather were both master woodworkers, under whom he trained in the craft. He had artistic leanings and in the late 1920s enrolled as a university student at the School of Arts and Crafts in Rio de Janeiro, where he joined a group of upstart modernists protesting the staid, retrograde curriculum at the college. At the time, Brazil was culturally mired in a 19th-century mindset that was reflected in an upper-class preference for academic painting and reproduction furnishings in antique European styles. But the progressive spirit that Tenreiro and his colleagues fostered slowly gained force.
With the terms “lightness” and “functionality” as his bywords, Tenreiro opened a furniture-design business in 1943, where one of his first clients was the legendary architect Oscar Niemeyer. The arrival of Brazil’s first democratically elected government, in 1945, lent modernism official sanction, which culminated in the construction of the new capital, Brasília. Tenreiro eventually stepped away from design in the late 1960s to devote his time to sculpture and painting.
To appreciate how revolutionary Tenreiro’s work seemed, one must imagine the heavy, ornately carved, deeply varnished furniture that was the standard for top-end Brazilian interior design in the 1930s. Tenreiro’s chairs and sofas employed slender, softly angular frames that were only lightly stained to highlight the grains of the local woods. He preferred chairs and chaises with caned seats and backrests that “breathe” in the tropical climate, and as a carpenter and joiner he wanted to show off the beauty of Brazilian wood.
Two versions of a three-legged side chair introduced in 1947 serve as a veritable manifesto for a new age in Brazilian design: Using the stack-lamination technique, Tenreiro bonded together a gently contoured seat made of alternating layers of different-colored native woods to produce a magnificent stripe effect. These chairs, like all Tenreiro works, demonstrate the enduring power of simple design and superb construction — with a teaspoon of flair.
Find vintage Joaquim Tenreiro furniture on 1stDibs.
Armchair by Lev Smarcevscki, Mid-Century Modern Brazilian, 1950s
By Lev Smarcevscki
Located in West Hollywood, CA
A rare example of Lev Smarcevscki’s sculptural approach to functional design, this 1950s armchair exemplifies the experimental spirit of postwar Brazilian modernism. Its structure ar...
Metal
Rocking Chair by Joaquim Tenreiro, Mid-Century Modern Brazilian, 1950s
By Joaquim Tenreiro
Located in West Hollywood, CA
Crafted in jacarandá rosewood with woven caning, this elegant rocking chair exemplifies Joaquim Tenreiro’s mastery of proportion and lightness. The refined geometry and restrained us...
Cane, Rosewood
Armchair by José Zanine Caldas, Mid-Century Modern Brazilian, 1960s
By José Zanine Caldas
Located in West Hollywood, CA
This rare metal armchair exemplifies Zanine Caldas’ fluid transition from carpentry-based modernism to a more experimental, industrial approach. The circular geometry of the frame ev...
Metal
Canguru Chair by Jorge Zalszupin, Mid-Century Modern, 1960s
By Jorge Zalszupin
Located in West Hollywood, CA
An icon of Zalszupin’s inventive design vocabulary, the Canguru chair captures the elegance of suspension and motion through its cantilevered silhouette. The seat and backrest, molde...
Metal
Armchair by Jean Gillon, Mid-Century Modern Brazilian, 1970s
By Jean Gillon
Located in West Hollywood, CA
A hallmark of Jean Gillon’s sensual and humanistic design philosophy, this 1970s armchair exemplifies his masterful fusion of structure and comfort. The sculptural jacarandá frame, w...
Leather, Rosewood
Lounge Chair by Joaquim Tenreiro, Mid-Century Modern Brazilian, 1953
By Joaquim Tenreiro
Located in West Hollywood, CA
This variation of the Curved Armchair (Poltrona Curva) softens Tenreiro’s geometric rigor with raw silk upholstery and gently rounded forms — a sculptural yet comfortable presence.
Upholstery, Rosewood
Martin Eisler & Carlo Hauner Modern Brazilian Large Armchair White fabric metal
By Forma Brazil, Carlo Hauner and Martin Eisler
Located in Barcelona, ES
Martin Eisler (1913-1977) & Carlo Hauner (1927-1997) Armchair, part of set with sofa Manufactured by Forma Moveis Brazil, 1950s Black painted metal, fabric upholstery Measur...
Metal
Mid-Century Modern Armchair by Joaquim Tenreiro, Brazil, 1960s
By Joaquim Tenreiro
Located in Deerfield Beach, FL
Mid-Century Modern Armchair by Joaquim Tenreiro, Brazil, 1960s Armchair with metal frame and white suede upholstery.
Metal
Italian modern white leather armchair Wassily by Marcel Breuer for Gavina, 1960s
By Marcel Breuer, Gavina
Located in MIlano, IT
Italian modern white leather armchair Wassily by Marcel Breuer for Gavina, 1960s Armchair model Wassily or B3 in white leather. The backrest, armrests, and seat are made entirely of ...
Steel
White Easy Chair by Franchioni Mario for Frama, Italy, 1950s
By Frama
Located in Berlin, DE
Easy chair by Franchioni Mario for Frama, Italy 1950s. This chair is completely restored in Dedar fabric. All springs inside are new. Excellent condition and signed.
Metal
Martin Eisler & Carlo Hauner Midcentury Brazilian Armchairs White Fabric Metal
By Carlo Hauner and Martin Eisler, Forma Brazil
Located in Barcelona, ES
Martin Eisler (1913-1977) & Carlo Hauner (1927-1997) Pair of armchairs Manufactured by Forma Moveis Brazil, 1950s Black painted metal, fabric upholstery Measurements 66 cm x 80 cm x 94h cm. 26 in x 35 in x 37h in. Literature Brazil Modern, the rediscovery of 20th century Brazilian furniture – Aric Chen, 2016. Martin Eisler (Vienna, Austria, 1913 - São Paulo, Brazil, 1977), was an architect and furniture designer. He was part of a group of European architects and designers who left Europe during the chaos of the Second World War and went to live and work in Brazil. Eisler stood out amongst this group of creatives, his work was at the forefront of modern furniture design in Brazil which flourished through the 1950s and 1960s in the region. The work of Martin Eisler in partnership with Carlo Hauner (1927-1996) was of particular significance. Eisler left Europe in 1938 due to the rise of fascist regimes. He first lived in Argentina, where he was settled and worked as an architect, set designer and interior designer, he opened up an interior design firm Interieur Forma. In 1940, he married Rosl Wolf, the daughter of German immigrants. Born in Brescia in 1927, Carlo Hauner studied technical drawing and drawing at the Brera Academy in Milan, Italy. In 1948 he successfully participated in the Venice Biennale after which he moved to Brazil, where he dedicated himself to the design of textile, ceramics, furniture and architecture. In only a very short time he founded a furniture production company and purchased a factory from Lina Bo Bardi and her husband Pietro Bardi, renaming it Móveis Artesanal. In 1953 Hauner met Martin Eisler, who was looking for help to produce furniture for the home of his brother-in-law, Ernesto Wolf. Eisler reached out to Hauner and the rest is history. The two men connected and with Wolf’s financial backing, they opened Galeria Artesanal (a store for their company Móveis Artesenal) on a busy street in São Paulo. Being highly ambitious and with an eye on the international market as well as the upcoming office market, Móvies Artesanal later changed into Forma. Along with Oca, Forma became one of the biggest names in Brazilian furniture production. Even managing to attract an exclusive license to sell Knoll furniture, bringing big names in international design such as Mies Van Der Rohe, Charles Eames and Harry Bertoia to the Brazilian furniture market. Hauner and Eisler’s designs are characterized by the use of Brazilian woods, thin tubular frames and a range from furniture, to ceramics and textiles. Some of their most famous designs are the “rib” lounge chair...
Metal
White Helmut Armchair by Arturo Verástegui
By Arturo Verástegui
Located in Geneve, CH
White helmut armchair by Arturo Verástegui Dimensions: D 72 x W 76 x H 70 cm Materials: walnut wood, leather. Armchair made of solid holm walnut, leather. Arturo Verástegui h...
Leather, Walnut
