Pedro Friedeberg Abstract Sculptures
The sculptor and painter Pedro Friedeberg works in a richly detailed, Surrealist and eccentric artistic style that blends influences from neoclassical art, M.C. Escher and native Mesoamerican symbolism. He is 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.
1970s Mexican Mid-Century Modern Vintage Pedro Friedeberg Abstract Sculptures
Walnut, Giltwood
1960s Mexican Mid-Century Modern Vintage Pedro Friedeberg Abstract Sculptures
Wood
1960s Mexican Mid-Century Modern Vintage Pedro Friedeberg Abstract Sculptures
Mahogany
1970s Mexican Mid-Century Modern Vintage Pedro Friedeberg Abstract Sculptures
Gold Leaf
1970s Mexican Vintage Pedro Friedeberg Abstract Sculptures
Wood
Mid-20th Century Mexican Mid-Century Modern Pedro Friedeberg Abstract Sculptures
Enamel, Silver
1970s Mexican Vintage Pedro Friedeberg Abstract Sculptures
Wood
1970s Mexican Vintage Pedro Friedeberg Abstract Sculptures
Wood
1970s Mexican Vintage Pedro Friedeberg Abstract Sculptures
Wood
Late 20th Century Mexican Pedro Friedeberg Abstract Sculptures
Wood
1960s Mexican Modern Vintage Pedro Friedeberg Abstract Sculptures
Wood
1960s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Pedro Friedeberg Abstract Sculptures
Bronze
Late 20th Century Mexican Modern Pedro Friedeberg Abstract Sculptures
Metal, Brass
Mid-20th Century Mexican Mid-Century Modern Pedro Friedeberg Abstract Sculptures
Mahogany
19th Century French Greek Revival Antique Pedro Friedeberg Abstract Sculptures
Marble, Brass, Enamel, Bronze, Metal
1980s German Vintage Pedro Friedeberg Abstract Sculptures
Brass, Bronze
Late 20th Century Mexican Pedro Friedeberg Abstract Sculptures
Wood
1970s Mexican Mid-Century Modern Vintage Pedro Friedeberg Abstract Sculptures
Wood
1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Pedro Friedeberg Abstract Sculptures
Bronze
1970s Italian Vintage Pedro Friedeberg Abstract Sculptures
Plastic
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Pedro Friedeberg Abstract Sculptures
Wood
Mid-20th Century Mexican Folk Art Pedro Friedeberg Abstract Sculptures
Wood
Mid-20th Century American Folk Art Pedro Friedeberg Abstract Sculptures
Wood
1960s Mexican Mid-Century Modern Vintage Pedro Friedeberg Abstract Sculptures
Mahogany
1960s Mexican Vintage Pedro Friedeberg Abstract Sculptures
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Mexican Other Pedro Friedeberg Abstract Sculptures
Other
21st Century and Contemporary Mexican Other Pedro Friedeberg Abstract Sculptures
Resin
21st Century and Contemporary Mexican Other Pedro Friedeberg Abstract Sculptures
Wood
1960s Mexican Modern Vintage Pedro Friedeberg Abstract Sculptures
Gold Leaf
1960s Vintage Pedro Friedeberg Abstract Sculptures
Silver Leaf
1980s Mexican Mid-Century Modern Vintage Pedro Friedeberg Abstract Sculptures
Bronze
20th Century American Modern Pedro Friedeberg Abstract Sculptures
Gold Leaf
1970s Mexican Vintage Pedro Friedeberg Abstract Sculptures
Wood
2010s Mexican Modern Pedro Friedeberg Abstract Sculptures
Ceramic
1970s Mexican Modern Vintage Pedro Friedeberg Abstract Sculptures
Wood