Brazilian design: from Joaquim Tenreiro to the Campana brothers (part 1)

Brazilian design is now enjoying belated but well-deserved recognition. At the latest edition of the If Design Awards, one of the world's largest and most prestigious design competitions, no fewer than 27 Brazilian projects entered in a wide range of categories received an award, proof of its current vitality. On closer inspection, its historical DNA is very familiar to us, because its "founding fathers" were all influenced by the experience of the Bauhaus School . Brazilian design has digested the best of European creation to adorn it in its most beautiful finery: wood, of course, the country's essential resource, which continues to blend with the typically Auriverde tropical spirit... We can't talk about the history of Brazilian design without mentioning the tutelary figure of Oscar Niemeyer (1907-2012), its most internationally famous architect. Niemeyer, heir to the international style professed by Walter Gropius, Mies Van der Rohe and Le Corbusier , is renowned for his architectural creations with their slender curves that shaped the creation of Brasilia, the capital of Brazil. The Brazilian architect designed administrative buildings and places of power in concrete. In his view, concrete was the only material capable of producing forms with sweeping curves, in contrast to the rigid style of Le Corbusier. The Brasilia cathedral imagined and designed by Oscar Niemeyer (1959-1970). Brasilia cathedral imagined and designed by Oscar Niemeyer (1959-1970). Brasilia cathedral imagined and designed by Oscar Niemeyer (1959-1970). National Congress of Brazil, Brasilia, Oscar Niemeyer, completed in 1960. National Congress of Brazil, Brasilia, Oscar Niemeyer, completed in 1960. National Congress of Brazil, Brasilia, Oscar Niemeyer, completed in 1960. Left dome: Senate. Right dome: Chamber of Deputies. Twin skyscrapers: Congress administrative services. Left dome: Senate. Right dome: Chamber of Deputies. Twin skyscrapers: Congress administrative services. Left dome: Senate. Right dome: Chamber of Deputies. Twin skyscrapers: Congressional administrative offices. Niterói Museum of Contemporary Art, Rio de Janeiro, 1991-1996. Oscar Niemeyer: the art of the curve! The Niterói Museum of Contemporary Art, Rio de Janeiro, 1991-1996. Oscar Niemeyer or the art of the curve! The Niterói Museum of Contemporary Art, Rio de Janeiro, 1991-1996. Oscar Niemeyer or the art of the curve! While Oscar Niemeyer and Lucio Costa (a famous architect of the time, Niemeyer's elder brother) designed and elevated Brasilia to the status of a futuristic city in the 1960s, the real founding father of Brazilian furniture design is Joaquim Tenreriro (1906-1992). Born in 1906 in Portugal, Joaquim Tenreiro, a carpenter by trade, emigrated to Brazil in the late 1920s. In the early 40s, he founded his own company - Langenbach et Tenreiro Ltda - to produce the models he designed. He drew on the incredible diversity of woods found in Brazil and popularised the use of jacaranda wood and straw (the use of cane stalks). The jacaranda, a tropical wood par excellence, provides a very hard, marbled wood, used in cabinet-making and which gives Tenreiro's creations a classy look. He was the first Brazilian to reinterpret the forms of avant-garde European design through the almost systematic use of precious woods. While Oscar Niemeyer and Lucio Costa (a famous architect of the time and Niemeyer's elder brother) designed and elevated Brasilia to the status of a futuristic city in the 1960s, the true founding father of Brazilian furniture design is Joaquim Tenreriro (1906-1992). Born in 1906 in Portugal, Joaquim Tenreiro, a carpenter by trade, emigrated to Brazil in the late 1920s. In the early 40s, he founded his own company - Langenbach et Tenreiro Ltda - to produce the models he designed. He drew on the incredible diversity of woods found in Brazil and popularised the use of jacaranda wood and straw (the use of cane stalks). The jacaranda, a tropical wood par excellence, provides a very hard, marbled wood, used in cabinet-making and which gives Tenreiro's creations a classy look. He was the first Brazilian to reinterpret the forms of avant-garde European design through the almost systematic use of precious woods. Joaquim Tenreiro, Chair with armrests, circa 1958, close-up. The elegance of precious woods and canework. Joaquim Tenreiro, Chair with armrests, circa 1958, close-up. Elegance of precious wood and canework. Joaquim Tenreiro, Chair with armrests, circa 1958, close-up. The elegance of precious wood and wickerwork. Able to design everything from a three-legged chair to lamps, tables and shelves, Joaquim Tenreiro became a much sought-after designer. Oscar Niemeyer included Tenreiro's creations in many of his architectural projects (buildings, private homes, office blocks), as a perfect embodiment of Brazilian elegance. Joaquim Tenreiro, Bookcase, jacaranda wood, circa 1954. Manufactured by Tenreiro Móveis e Decorações, Brazil. Joaquim Tenreiro, Bookcase, jacaranda wood, circa 1954. Manufacture: Tenreiro Móveis e Decorações, Brazil. Joaquim Tenreiro, Bookcase, jacaranda wood, circa 1954. Manufacture: Tenreiro Móveis e Decorações, Brazil. Triangular dining table and chairs, 1960. Design and conception Joaquim Tenreiro Triangular dining table and chairs, 1960. Design and conception Joaquim Tenreiro Triangular dining table and chairs, 1960. Design and conception Joaquim Tenreiro A land of emigration in the first half of the 20th century, Brazilian design also developed around European figures. Gregori Warchavchik (1896-1972), an architect of Ukrainian origin, arrived in Brazil in the 1920s. He is known for having designed what is considered to be the country's first modern house in São Paulo, with its cubic forms, 10 years before Le Corbusier was called in by Lucio Costa to design the Ministry of Education and Culture in 1943. Modern house (Rua Santa Cruz). Vila Mariana, São Paulo, Brazil, 1927-28, architect Gregori Warchavchik. Source: ofhouses.com Modern house (Rua Santa Cruz). Vila Mariana, São Paulo, Brazil, 1927-28, Architect: Gregori Warchavchik. Source: ofhouses.com Modern house (Rua Santa Cruz). Vila Mariana, São Paulo, Brazil, 1927-28, Architect: Gregori Warchavchik. Source: ofhouses.com Inspired by the modern design of the Bauhaus, Warchavchik designed furniture that he felt was perfectly in tune with the modern architecture he was promoting. His furniture, made from local wood, features geometric lines and is somewhat reminiscent of the art deco style of the turn of the century. Gregori Warchavchic, "GW Tea Trolley", 1928. Gregori Warchavchic, GW Tea Trolley, 1928. Gregori Warchavchic, GW Tea Trolley, 1928. Gregori Warchavchic, "Leque" magazine rack, 1928. An icon of modern Brazilian design. Gregori Warchavchic, "Leque" magazine rack, 1928. An icon of modern Brazilian design. Gregori Warchavchic, "Leque" magazine rack, 1928. An icon of modern Brazilian design. Lina Bo Bardi (1914-1992), born in Rome in 1914, fell under the spell of Brazil in the 1940s during a trip to Rio, when she and her husband accepted an invitation from the Institute of Brazilian Architects. When they arrived in Brazil, the Bardi family were no strangers. A graduate of the College of Architecture in Rome, Lina has already collaborated with the famous Italian designer Giò Ponti on a magazine and co-founded the weekly magazine A - Attualità, Architettura, Abitazione, Arte A - Attualità, Architettura, Abitazione, Arte in Milan ( A Cultura della Vita A Cultura della Vita ). Her husband, Pietro Maria Bardi, is an art critic and journalist. Lina Bo Bardi, who became a Brazilian citizen in 1951, left a lasting imprint on the city of São Paulo. From 1957 to 1968, she conceived and designed the Museum of Art in Rio de Janeiro's rival city, the MAM, with its instantly recognisable silhouette. Her career was also marked by the creation of the SESC Pompeia, a former barrel factory with raw forms. The project, completed in 1982, has become a very popular place for Brazilians, with exhibition halls, a library and sports fields. Musée d'art de Musée d'art de São Paulo, architect Lina Bo Bardi São Paulo, architect Lina Bo Bardi . The São Paulo Art Museum, interior view. São Paulo, interior view. Lina Bo Bardi is responsible for one of the classics of Brazilian design: the famous Bowl Chair Bowl Chair (1951), reminiscent of Eero Saarinen's Womb Chair, now published by Arper. Lina Bo Bardi seated in the Bowl Chair. Photograph by Francisco Albuquerque. Lina Bo Bardi seated in the Bowl Chair. Photograph by Francisco Albuquerque. Lina Bo Bardi seated in the Bowl Chair. Photograph by Francisco Albuquerque. Lina Bo Bardi, "Bowl Chair", 1951. This model is now available in a limited edition from Arper Lina Bo Bardi, "Bowl Chair", 1951. This model is now available in a limited edition from Arper. From the 50s to the 70s, another generation succeeded Niemeyer, Tenreiro and Warchavchic. These years are considered to be the golden age of Brazilian design, with design finally becoming the equal of urban planning. Two great post-war figures emerged: Paulo Mendes Da Rocha (1928) and Sergio Rodrigues (1927). The former, an architect by trade (another one!) and winner of the 2006 Pritzker Architecture Prize, created a timeless classic of Brazilian design with the Paulistano Paulistano armchair in 1957. Designed to furnish the lounges of the São Paulo Athletics Club, the seat is a model of aesthetic lightness yet comfort. Paulistano" armchair Terracota leather. Design by Paulo Mendes Da Rocha, 1957. The structure is in folded steel. Paulistano" Terracota leather armchair. Design by Paulo Mendes Da Rocha, 1957. The structure is in folded steel. Paulistano" armchair. Terracota leather. Design by Paulo Mendes Da Rocha, 1957. The structure is in folded steel. The second, Sergio Rodrigues, won international acclaim in 1961 with the Mole, Mole armchair, which won first prize at the Cantú Design Biennial. A worthy heir to Niemeyer and Lucio Costa, Rodrigues took on the modernist lines of the Bauhaus, but in a Brazilian spirit. Incredibly comfortable with its leather cushions and armrests supported by leather straps, the Mole Mole armchair naturally has a solid jacaranda frame and structure... in the purest Brazilian tradition! Sergio Rodrigues, Mole armchair, 1957. The seat is now edited by LinBrasil Sergio Rodrigues, Mole armchair, 1957. The seat is now edited by LinBrasil. On sale on design-market here: Mole armchair Mole armchair and our exclusive collection of Brazilian vintage design Brazilian vintage design Discover now >> the second part of this article >> the second part of this article, in which we will share even more information about the fascinating history of Brazilian design. written by François Boutard written by François Boutard

Brazilian design: from Joaquim Tenreiro to the Campana brothers (part 1)

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