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Jean Gillon Armchairs

Although he was Romanian by birth, architect and designer Jean Gillon’s heart and soul belonged to his adopted country of Brazil. The country’s culture and revered architecture served as a muse for his mid-century furniture designs. Today Gillon ranks among the most interesting figures in Brazilian modernism, which is characterized by sensual forms and beautifully handcrafted chairs, tables and cabinets built from exotic hardwoods.

Gillon was born in Iasi and graduated from the city’s George Enescu National University of the Arts. He then moved to Paris, where he studied tapestry, worked at the newspaper Le Monde as a cartoonist and moonlighted as a set designer for the Paris Opera Ballet. He eventually left Paris for Vienna, where he studied architecture at the School of Industrial Arts, known today as the University of Applied Arts. In the early 1950s, Gillon was a visiting lecturer at London’s Central School of Arts and Crafts.

In 1956, Gillon moved with his wife and two daughters to São Paulo, where he developed a passion for Brazilian architecture, namely the work of modernists such as celebrated architect Lina Bo Bardi and designer José Zanine Caldas. Gillon took on interior decorating projects and formed the Fábrica de Móveis Cidam, which later became Italma Wood Art, in order to design furniture for his clients. Gillon’s furnishings, produced at Italma and also in collaboration with manufacturers such as Probel, were immensely popular and could be found in the planned capital city of Brasilia, a project launched in 1956 by Oscar Niemeyer.

Gillon designed everything from bowls and baskets to centerpieces, tables and other objects and furniture. However, he was best known for his lounge chairs and sofas, including his iconic Jangada chair. Named for the Portuguese word for traditional Brazilian fishing boats, the award-winning Jangada was framed in jacaranda in the late 1960s. The welcoming seat of Gillon’s visually striking trapezoidal lounge chair features plush leather cushions that are supported by nylon fishing rope.

Gillon continued to produce furniture for Italma Wood Art until he retired in 2003. He died in 2007, and today Gillon’s pieces remain highly covetable among interior designers and collectors of modern furniture.

On 1stDibs, find a range of vintage Jean Gillon seating, decorative objects and serveware.

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Creator: Jean Gillon
"Amazonas" Armchair by Jean Gillon for Italma Wood Art, Brazil, 1970s
By Jean Gillon, Italma Wood Art
Located in Paris, FR
"Amazonas" armchair by Jean Gillon for Italma Wood Art, Brazil, 1970s.
Category

1970s French Vintage Jean Gillon Armchairs

Materials

Wood

Brazilian Modern “Jangada” Armchair & Stool in Hardwood & Leather, Jean Gillon
By Jean Gillon
Located in New York, NY
Available today, this Brazilian Modern “Jangada” lounge chair with stool in hardwood & leather by Jean Gillon designed in the 1960s is absolutely gorgeous! The chair's name, "Jangada," was named after the small rustic fishing boats used by fishermen along the northern coast of Brazil. The “purplish” tone of the wood chair contrasts nicely with the iconic caramel leather upholstery, adding to its luxurious and elegant appearance. The upholstery took three months to make and was done by some of the best upholsters in Rio de Janeiro following Gillon’s upholstery methodology (as is showcased in the vintage publications attached). Remains of the manufacturing seal can be seen in the wood base. The nets are new. Owning a "Jangada '' lounge chair is not just about acquiring a beautiful piece of furniture; it's also about possessing a part of Brazilian design history and culture. This chair is a testament to Jean Gillon’s creativity and vision, and it would make an excellent addition to any interior space that values and appreciates the significance of this design. Beyond its physical beauty and unique design, the "Jangada" lounge chair also embodies the Brazilian spirit, an specific aspect of Brazilian Modernism that can be seen in other brazilian icons like Sergio Rodrigues, the Tres Pies chair of Joaquim Tenreiro or the Canoa sofa of Liceu de Artes e Oficios. The gorgeous set is showcased in our showroom next to a Novo Rumo rosewood credenza, a bar cart designed by Geraldo de Barros and the convo looks nothing less than spectacular Size: H32.5, W36, D41.5, SH15.5 (in) H82.5, W91.4, D105.4, SH39.4 (cm) Jean Gillon is a Brazilian furniture designer born in Romania in 1919. He studies at the Architecture and Fine arts Schools at the National University. He founded his first company Fábrica de Móveis Cidam in 1961 after emigrating to São Paulo, Brazil in 1956. Gillon's firm designed many luxury hotels throughout Brazil and homes and stores. He was known for his one of a kind tapestries. His second furniture company, WoodArt, produced full lines of Brazilian rosewood furniture...
Category

Mid-20th Century Brazilian Mid-Century Modern Jean Gillon Armchairs

Materials

Leather, Natural Fiber, Hardwood, Wood

Jangada Armchair & Stool - Leather - Jean Gillon, Mid-Century Modern
By Jean Gillon
Located in Houston, TX
The "Jangada" lounge chair, a stunning example of Brazilian modern design by Jean Gillon, is a masterpiece that exudes timeless beauty and exquisite craftsmanship. Designed in the 19...
Category

1960s Brazilian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Jean Gillon Armchairs

Materials

Leather, Hardwood

Brazilian Jangada Rosewood & Leather Sling Chair with Ottoman by Jean Gillon
By Jean Gillon, Sergio Rodrigues, Percival Lafer
Located in Chattanooga, TN
This Jean Gillon Jangada armchair and ottoman were completely disassembled and each piece of rosewood was stripped, sanded and refinished in multiple coats of hand-buffed finishing o...
Category

1960s Brazilian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Jean Gillon Armchairs

Materials

Leather, Rosewood, Rope

Lounge Chairs by Jean Gillon in Hardwood, Brazilian Midcentury Modern Design
By Jean Gillon
Located in Sao Paulo, SP
This pair of armchairs, created by renowned designer Jean Gillon, is a unique piece that incorporates elegance and quality in its design. Originating in the 1960s and developed for P...
Category

Mid-20th Century Brazilian Mid-Century Modern Jean Gillon Armchairs

Materials

Fabric, Hardwood

1960s Leather Armachair by Jean Gillon for Probel, Brazil
By Jean Gillon, Probel
Located in London, GB
A 1960s cantilever armchair in good quality cognac leather on a hardwood frame by Jean Gillon for Problel. Jean Gillon was born in Romania and studied at the Faculty of Architectu...
Category

Mid-20th Century Brazilian Mid-Century Modern Jean Gillon Armchairs

Materials

Leather, Hardwood

Brazilian Modern Armchairs in Hardwood & Black Leather, Jean Gillon, 1960
By Jean Gillon
Located in New York, NY
Very rare set of "Rodeio" lounge chairs designed by Jean Gillon for Italma in the 1960’s. The lounge chair structure is made of solid Jacaranda (Brazilian rosewood) and features the characteristic bend leg ends. The Jacaranda has been refinished and displays beautiful patterns characteristic of old Jacaranda. The cushions are supported by new leather straps and have been re-upholstered in black leather by one of Brazil’s finest upholsters. This lounge chairs are not only strikingly beautiful but very comfortable. A set like this will be a center piece in any living room and for avid collectors an absolute must. Literature (last images): • Contemporary Casa e Jardim (Brazil) publications • Jean Gillon. Artista Designer. By Enock Sacramento, Giancarlo Latorrica and Graca Bueno About the author…Jean Gillon is a Brazilian furniture designer born in Romania in 1919. He studied at the Architecture and Fine arts Schools at the National University. He founded his first company Fábrica de Móveis Cidam in 1961 after emigrating to São Paulo, Brazil in 1956. Gillon's firm designed many luxury hotels throughout Brazil and homes and stores. He was known for his one-of-a-kind tapestries. His second furniture company, WoodArt, produced full lines of Brazilian rosewood furniture...
Category

Mid-20th Century Brazilian Mid-Century Modern Jean Gillon Armchairs

Materials

Leather, Hardwood

Copa Lounge Chair, by Jean Gillon, Brazilian Midcentury Modern Design
By Jean Gillon
Located in Sao Paulo, SP
These exquisite Copa lounge chairs, designed by the master Jean Gillon, are a testament to his genius in creating furniture that is both functional a...
Category

Early 20th Century Brazilian Mid-Century Modern Jean Gillon Armchairs

Materials

Wood

Rodeio Armchair, by Jean Gillon in Hardwood. Brazilian Midcentury Modern
By Jean Gillon
Located in Sao Paulo, SP
The Rodeio armchair is an iconic piece that perfectly represents the main characteristics of Brazilian design as a school. It is one of the most outstanding creations of Jean Gillon,...
Category

Early 20th Century Brazilian Mid-Century Modern Jean Gillon Armchairs

Materials

Jacaranda

Rare pair of Jean Gillon "Rodeio" Easy Chairs, Brazil, 1960s
By Jean Gillon
Located in Stockholm, SE
Produced in the 1960s by Wood Art Brazil.   Jean Gillon (1919–2007) was born in Lasi, Romania. In 1956, already possessing a consistent portfolio, he moved to São Paulo, where he dev...
Category

1960s Brazilian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Jean Gillon Armchairs

Materials

Leather

Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Easy Chairs and Ottoman by Jean Gillon for Italma W
By Jean Gillon
Located in Brussels, BE
Mid-Century Modern Brazilian easy chairs and ottoman by Jean Gillon for Italma Wood Art, Brazil, 1960s Romanian-born, naturalized Brazilian Jean Gillon was an architect-designer best known for his design company Italma WoodArt, for which he designed a range of furniture collections crafted from Brazilian rosewood, or jacaranda, in the 1960s and 1970s. Born 1919 in Ia?i, Gillon fluttered between a variety of European residences amid early adulthood. After graduating from Iasi’s George Enescu National University of Arts, Gillon moved to Paris, where he studied tapestry concurrent to practical work both as a Le Monde cartoonist and a set designer for the Paris Opera Ballet. In 1949, he relocated to Vienna to study architecture at the Kunstgewerbschule (formerly, the School of Industrial Arts; today, the University of Applied Arts), before heading on to London the following year to become a visiting lecturer at Central Arts & Crafts. While in London, he met his wife Edith, with whom he had two daughters, Gabriela and Laura. Ever the jet-setters, the couple moved to São Paulo in 1956, attracted by the burgeoning Brazilian architecture scene and the work of José Caldas and Lina Bo Bardi, among others. Though his early work in Brazil focused on architecture, Gillon shifted to furniture design in 1961, when he founded Fábrica de Móveis Cidam, the original name for what would later become Italma WoodArt. By the mid-1960s, Gillon’s WoodArt designs—mostly lounge chairs and sofas, often framed in rosewood and upholstered in Brazilian leather—could be found all around Brazil; in 1964, however, Gillon’s focus turned global, and he began expanding into the international market, exporting his products to twenty-two different countries. As his company matured, so did Gillon’s designs’ appeal; particularly decorated was his Jangada Chair (1968), a lounge chair and ottoman upholstered in leather and supported by nylon nets. So named for the shape of a traditional Brazilian fishing boat...
Category

1960s Brazilian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Jean Gillon Armchairs

Materials

Leather, Fabric, Wood

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Jean Gillon armchairs for sale on 1stDibs.

Jean Gillon armchairs are available for sale on 1stDibs. These distinctive items are frequently made of wood and are designed with extraordinary care. There are many options to choose from in our collection of Jean Gillon armchairs, although brown editions of this piece are particularly popular. Many of the original armchairs by Jean Gillon were created in the mid-century modern style in south america during the 20th century. If you’re looking for additional options, many customers also consider armchairs by Martin Eisler, Forma Brazil, and L'Atelier San Paulo. Prices for Jean Gillon armchairs can differ depending upon size, time period and other attributes — on 1stDibs, these items begin at $3,873 and can go as high as $42,000, while a piece like these, on average, fetch $17,213.

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