The Italian-born Brazilian architect Lina Bo Bardi came to imbue the pure and lofty if somewhat bloodless tenets of modern design with the warm and earthy character of her adopted homeland.
Bardi was born in Rome and graduated in 1939 from the Università degli studi di Roma “La Sapienza” with a degree in architecture. She moved to Milan, worked with Gio Ponti, among other modernist luminaries, and began a career in design journalism. Bardi served as an editor for Ponti’s groundbreaking magazine, Domus, and in 1945 traveled for the publication throughout Italy with a photographer, documenting the physical destruction wrought by World War II.
Bardi moved to Brazil in 1947 with her husband, art dealer and critic Pietro Maria Bardi. There Pietro helped establish the São Paulo Museum of Art (MASP) while his wife resumed her work in journalism and soon launched her architectural practice. Her first building project was designing a house for herself and her husband on a hillside in what were then the outskirts of São Paulo.
Built in 1951 and known as Casa de Vidro (or Glass House), it is a glass-walled box set on slim steel columns, inspired equally by the Bauhaus and Le Corbusier. Its interiors, with their mid-century furnishings, folk-art pieces and ethnographic curios, are reminiscent of those of Charles and Ray Eames’ house in California. (Bardi also created the interiors of the original MASP and was a natural choice to design the second museum when the institution had outgrown its first home.)
As a furniture designer, Bardi demonstrated flair from the start. The Bowl chair, designed in 1951 but not manufactured until Italian furniture maker Arper recently issued it, is a marvel of versatility. The seat can be swiveled to satisfy any attitude of repose or dismounted to serve as a rocking baby crib. That same year, she made the throne-like Bola de Latão chair, which in place of arms has stanchions topped by brass balls. Its slung leather seat and backrest have unfinished edges secured with lacing, giving the piece an artisanal, perhaps even sexual, air.
In the late 1950s and early ’60s, Bardi designed cushioned chairs with wooden frames whose softened angularity recalls the work of Pierre Jeanneret and Marcel Breuer’s 1938 furniture designs for Bryn Mawr College. But Bardi’s furniture construction and aesthetic sensibilities evolved in tandem with her populist principles. Her embrace of Brazil’s social mosaic was most fully expressed in her last major project, and her masterpiece: a combined cultural and recreational center in São Paulo known as the SESC Pompéia.
Built in stages between 1977 and ’82, the complex has as its core a renovated drum factory. In it, Bardi — to use architectural parlance — created a nonhierarchical environment, with equal prominence and care given to areas as disparate as theaters, sports facilities and places for old folks to sit and gossip or play chess.
Bardi’s last chairs, designed for the center, are built of solid wood, sturdy and durable with simple and graceful forms. They seem to suggest that the most interesting thing about a piece of furniture should be the person using it.
Find vintage Lina Bo Bardi furniture on 1stDibs.
Lina Bo Bardi. Stool SESC Pompéia, Drawing 1982/ Edition 2023
By Lina Bo Bardi
Located in PARIS, FR
Lina Bo Bardi Stool SESC Pompéia, Designed 1982 / Edition 2023 Laminated pine Dimensions: 52 x 40 x 68 cm (20.47 x 15.75 x 26.77 in) This stool is one of the most sought-after iconi...
Laminate, Pine
Lina Bo Bardi; Marcelo Ferraz; Marcelo Suzuki. Frei Egidio Chair. Edition 2022
By Lina Bo Bardi, Baraúna
Located in PARIS, FR
The Frei Egídio chair was developed by Lina Bo Bardi, Marcelo Ferraz and Marcelo Suzuki, to equip Mattos' Gregório theater in Salvador. It had to be light and easily transportable an...
Hardwood, Pine
$8,232Sale Price / item|45% Off
SESC Pompeia Side Chair in Pine by Lina Bo Bardi, 1980s
By Lina Bo Bardi
Located in amstelveen, NL
SESC Stools/Side Chairs by Lina Bo Bardi, Marcelo Ferraz & Marcelo Suzuki. Crafted for the iconic SESC Pompeia cultural center in São Paulo. This rare pine stool embodies the vision...
Pine
$23,245 / set
Pair of chairs by Lina bo bardi
By Lina Bo Bardi
Located in SAINT-OUEN-SUR-SEINE, FR
Rare paire de chaises par Lina Bo Bardi.
Velvet, Wood
Scarce bola chair by Lina Bo bardi, early edition
By Lina Bo Bardi
Located in SAINT-OUEN-SUR-SEINE, FR
Lina BO BARDI (1914-1992)Chaise dite Bola, circa 1970, à assise et dossier en cuir cognac tendu et disposés sur une structure tubulaire en métal laqué noir formant un piètement quadr...
Metal, Brass
SESC Pompeia Chair by Lina Bo Bardi , 2022, Marcenaria Baraúna
By Lina Bo Bardi
Located in Tokyo, Tokyo
Design：Lina Bo Bardi, Marcelo Ferraz, André Vainer Material：Laminated Pine Designed by Lina Bo Bardi in 1986, this chair was designed for the library and dining room in the SESC Pomp...
Wood, Pine
Iconic Sesc Pompeia Stool, by Lina Bo Bardi, 1979-1980, Midcentury Brazilian
By Lina Bo Bardi
Located in New York, NY
This iconic stool was designed by Lina Bo Bardi (1914-1992) and made especially for Sesc Pompeia, a cultural center in São Paulo, Brazil. It consists of structures that resemble crat...
Pine
Girafa Low Table by Lina Bo Bardi , 2022, Marcenaria Baraúna
By Lina Bo Bardi
Located in Tokyo, Tokyo
Design：Lina Bo Bardi, Marcelo Ferraz, Marcelo Suzuki Material：Tauari This is a low table model of a table designed in 1986 for the Salvador "House of Benin" restaurant in Brazil. Th...
Wood
Lina Bo Bardi Armchair / Authentic Mid-Century Modern
By Lina Bo Bardi
Located in Zürich, CH
Sculptural qualities define this object. A vivid dynamic between the different volumes and surfaces, showing different qualities from different angles. Its expressive form offers a c...
Iron
"Masp 7th Abril" Chair, by Lina Bo Bardi, 1947, Mid-Century Brazilian
By Lina Bo Bardi
Located in New York, NY
This iconic chair was designed by the Italian-born Brazilian architect Lina Bo Bardi (1914-1992) for the MASP's auditorium when it still was placed on 7th April street...
Leather, Rosewood
Girafa Table by Lina Bo Bardi , 2022, Marcenaria Baraúna
By Lina Bo Bardi
Located in Tokyo, Tokyo
Design：Lina Bo Bardi, Marcelo Ferraz, Marcelo Suzuki Material：Tauari In 1986, Marcelo Ferraz and Marcelo Suzuki Lina Bo Bardi worked on a series of projects in Salvador, including t...
Wood
Scarce Lina Bo Bardi Armchair
By Lina Bo Bardi
Located in SAINT-OUEN-SUR-SEINE, FR
Rare Fauteuil, circa 1985, à assise et dossier en daim gris tendu et disposés sur une structure en imbuia formant les accoudoirs et reposant sur trois pieds de type rondins joints pa...
Suede, Imbuia
Deck chair by Lina Bo Bardi designed for casa valéria
By Lina Bo Bardi
Located in SAINT-OUEN-SUR-SEINE, FR
Scarce easy chair by Lina Bo Bardi. Nice patina.
Iron
Frei Egídio Chair by Lina Bo Bardi , 2022, Marcenaria Baraúna
By Lina Bo Bardi
Located in Tokyo, Tokyo
Design：Lina Bo Bardi, Marcelo Ferraz, Marcelo Suzuki Material：Solid Pine This chair was designed by Lina Bo Baldi, Marcelo Ferras, and Marcelo Suzuki for the Teatro Gregório de Mattos in Salvador...
Wood, Pine
SESC Stools by Lina Bo Bardi for SESC Pompeia, Brazil, 1970s
By Lina Bo Bardi
Located in Antwerp, BE
These SESC stools, designed by Lina Bo Bardi, Marcelo Ferraz, and Marcelo Suzuki for the SESC Pompeia center in São Paulo, showcase the minimalist yet thoug...
Pine
Lina Bo Bardi; Marcelo Ferraz; Marcelo Suzuki. "Girafa" Chair. Edition 2022
By Baraúna, Lina Bo Bardi
Located in PARIS, FR
Lina Bo Bardi, Marcelo Ferraz & Marcelo Suzuki "Girafa" Chair – Design 1986, Edition 2022 Signed “Baraúna” (branded) Originally designed in 1986 by Lina Bo Bardi in collaboration wit...
Hardwood
A pair of lounge chairs attributed to Lina Bo Bardi
By Lina Bo Bardi
Located in Long Island City, NY
A pair of lounge chairs attributed to Lina Bo Bardi, featuring doweled seats and backrests, completed with newly reupholstered in soft cashmere wool.
Wood
Girafa Stool by Lina Bo Bardi , 2022, Marcenaria Baraúna
By Lina Bo Bardi
Located in Tokyo, Tokyo
Design：Lina Bo Bardi, Marcelo Ferraz, Marcelo Suzuki Material：Tauari In 1986, Marcelo Ferraz and Marcelo Suzuki Lina Bo Bardi worked on a series of projects in Salvador, including t...
Wood
Little Box for SESC Pompeia by Lina Bo Bardi , 2022, Marcenaria Baraúna
By Lina Bo Bardi
Located in Tokyo, Tokyo
Design：Lina Bo Bardi, Marcelo Ferraz, André Vainer Material：Solid Pine, Melamine laminate, with casters Designed by Lina Bo Baldi in 1986, this children's desk was created for insta...
Wood
Single armchair model “Tridente” or “P9”
By Lina Bo Bardi
Located in Barcelona, ES
Single armchair model “Tridente” or “P9” Manufactured by Studio d’Arte Palma (Lina Bo Bardi & Giancarlo Palanti) Brazil, 1948 wood, velvet mohair upholstery Measurements 64cmx84cmx8...
Velvet, Wood
Single armchair Designed by Lina Bo Bardi, Brazil, 1959
By Lina Bo Bardi
Located in Barcelona, ES
Single armchair Designed by Lina Bo Bardi Manufactured by Pau Bra Brazil, 1959 Measurements 56 cm x 72 cm x 79h cm 22 in x 28,5 in x 31h in Provenance Private collection, Sao Paulo
Wood
MASP 7th April Chair by Lina Bo Bardi, 1947
By Lina Bo Bardi
Located in São Paulo, BR
This exceptional chair bears the hallmark of Lina Bo Bardi's ingenuity, crafted specifically for the MASP's auditorium during its tenure on 7th April street...
Leather, Wood
Mid-Century Modern Glass House Stools by Lina Bo Bardi, 1951
By Lina Bo Bardi
Located in New York, NY
Designed for the Glass House, Bo Bardi’s first built project, this three-legged stool features an iron-tubing frame with a circular wooden seat in black. Versatile as a stool or side...
Iron
Lina Bo Bardi Side table / Stool
By Lina Bo Bardi
Located in Washington, DC
Stool / Side Table by Lina Bo Bardi featuring electric blue metal legs and black wooden tabletop. In original vintage condition
Metal
Price Upon Request
SESC Stools by Lina Bo Bardi
By Lina Bo Bardi
Located in London, England
Iconic SESC Stool designed by Lina Bo Bardi and Marcelo Suzuki for SESC Pompeia in 1982 completely unrestored.
Hardwood
Price Upon Request
Lina Bo Bardi Pair of Deckchairs
By Lina Bo Bardi
Located in Washington, DC
Beautiful vintage iron and leather deckchairs by Brazilian icon Lina Bo Bardi. Original iron structure with a newly set distressed thick saddle leather seating. Pair available. Las...
Metal
Price Upon Request
Rare side table by Lina Bo Bardi and Giancarlo Palanti
By Lina Bo Bardi
Located in London, England
Extremely rare pair of side tables by Lina Bo Bardi and Giancarlo Palanti for Studio de Arte Palma. Still preserve manufacturer's label below.
Plywood
Price Upon Request
SESC Stools by Lina Bo Bardi
By Lina Bo Bardi
Located in London, England
Iconic SESC Stool designed by Lina Bo Bardi and Marcelo Suzuki for SESC Pompeia in 1982.
Hardwood
$9,685 / set
H 32.29 in W 17.72 in D 17.72 in
Set of Swedish pine chairs by Bo Fjaestad for Arvika Konsthantverk, 1930s
By Axel Einar Hjorth
Located in Eskilstuna, SE
Rare scultptural chairs designed by Bo Fjaestad for Arvika Konsthantverk in Sweden during the 1930s. Made in pine with a great original patina.
Pine
$3,959 / item
H 29.92 in W 30.7 in D 30.7 in
Customizable Tacchini Lina Armchair by Gianfranco Frattini
By Gianfranco Frattini, Tacchini
Located in New York, NY
Lina is a re-edition of one of the earliest projects designed by Gianfranco Frattini, one of the great masters of Italian design. Nominated in 1955 for the Compasso d’oro, the armcha...
Leather, Fabric
$3,750 / set
H 44 in W 32 in D 35 in
Paulo Alvez Green LINA Wing Chair and Ottoman by Empório das Cadeiras
By Lina Bo Bardi
Located in Hanover, MA
Paulo Alvez green duck LINA wing chair and ottoman 44" h x 32" w x 35" d & Ottoman 16" h x 20" w x 17" d The Lina Armchair produced by Empório das Cadeiras is a tribute to the Itali...
Upholstery, Wood
$2,550 / set
H 26 in W 27.5 in D 24 in
Brazilian Leather Sling Lounge Chairs Lina Bo Bardi Style with Sheepkins 1960s
By Lina Bo Bardi
Located in Atlanta, GA
Sculptural Pair of Brazilian Mid Century Lounge Chairs, in the style of Lina Bo Bardi, Brazil, circa 1960s. The original leather slings retain their warm original patina and they inc...
Metal
BO46 Armchair Finn Juhl
By Bovirke, Finn Juhl
Located in London, GB
This armchair is a later reissue of Juhl's original design, produced for a wider market. Retaining the beautiful angular details, this chair is more square than its earlier sibling. ...
Leather, Rosewood
Vintage Postmodern Metal Side Chair by Rolf Rahmlow, 1980s
Located in Hamburg, DE
Postmodern metal chair based on a design by Rolf Rahmlow from the 80s.The frame of the chair is made … Read more Postmodern metal chair based o...
Metal
Limited Edition Bo Armchair by Giacomo Tomazzi Studio
Located in Geneve, CH
Limited Edition Bo Armchair by Giacomo Tomazzi Studio Dimensions: W 97 x D 95 x H 75 cm Materials: Stainless steel tube, natural carnauba fiber, pineapple leather and solid wood sphe...
Stainless Steel
$223Sale Price / item|20% Off
H 31.8 in W 19.6 in D 20.8 in
"Bo" Stackable Colored Chair Designed by Philippe Starck for Driade
By Philippe Starck, Driade
Located in Brooklyn, NY
"Bo" is a stackable chair (max 8 pieces), designed by Philippe Starck and manufactured by Driade, in polypropylene monobloc available in mustard yellow, white, carnation or gray colo...
Plastic
$5,250
H 34.65 in W 18.9 in D 18.9 in
"Maria Alice" Chair, by Marcelo Magalhães, Brazilian Contemporary Design
By Marcelo Magalhães
Located in Sao Paulo, SP
This outstanding chair was designed by Marcelo Magalhães in 2022. The unique organic shape of the wood is beautifully combined with the handwork of...
Wood, Straw
$4,800
H 33.86 in W 24.02 in D 25.99 in
Campanula Arm Chair by Pagani Partner of Gio Ponti & Lina Bo Bardi, 1952, Arflex
By Carlo Pagani, Arflex
Located in bergen op zoom, NL
Amazing restored 'Campanula' Carver Chair with beautiful tapered form brass legs by Italian architect Carlo Pagani (architectural partner of both Gio Ponti and Lina Bo Bardi) for Arflex, Italy, 1952. The Carver chair is a rare variant of the campanula model with armrests which traditionally were placed at the head and foot of a large dining table, the original 'campanula' carver chairs are almost never found today so this is an extremely rare opportunity to obtain one This chair is an early examples identified by its artisan crafted solid wood frames and the 'Arflex' manufacturer's label which we managed to save from the original upholstery and have put back onto the new fabric Restoration details: This chair has had its upholstery completely restored in our upholstery shop , stripping it right back to its bare wood frame and then applying new high quality rubber seat and backrest support webbing by the original Italian manufacturer 'Pirelli', then new Pantera foam has been applied throughout replacing the old, dry and crumbling original foam and finally the chairs have been finished in a new elegant bright yellow top quality Mohair velvet fabric. The beautiful elegant tapered form brass legs have been sympathetically and lightly hand polished and may still exhibit some small signs of user wear commensurate with originality age and use. We did not want to machine polish the legs as it can take away at lot of the original vintage appeal. Carlo Pagani worked in the offices of Gio Ponti and collaborated and partnered Gio Ponti on several important projects which were documented in the Italian design journals of the period such as the August 1940 issue of Domus. In 1940, see scan attached in the photo section, Carlo Pagani started up his own architectural practice "Studio Bo...
Brass, Steel
Lina Bo Bardi Armchair / Authentic Mid-Century Modern
By Lina Bo Bardi
Located in Zürich, CH
Sculptural qualities define this object. A vivid dynamic between the different volumes and surfaces, showing different qualities from different angles. Its expressive form offers a c...
Iron
$75,000
H 34.45 in W 18.12 in D 23.04 in
"Masp 7th Abril" Chair, by Lina Bo Bardi, 1947, Mid-Century Brazilian
By Lina Bo Bardi
Located in New York, NY
This iconic chair was designed by the Italian-born Brazilian architect Lina Bo Bardi (1914-1992) for the MASP's auditorium when it still was placed on 7th April street...
Leather, Rosewood
Sold
H 0.36 in W 12.6 in D 9.45 in
Magazine “Habitat”, nº15, by Lina Bo Bardi & Pietro Maria Bardi. Brazil 1954
By Lina Bo Bardi
Located in Barcelona, ES
“Habitat – revista das artes no Brasil”, nº 15, March – April 1954 “Magazine of contemporary culture, dedicated to architecture, painting, sculpture, industrial design, graphic arts...
Paper
Sold
H 29.9 in W 34.25 in D 34.25 in
Lina Bo Bardi's Bowl Chair designed 1951, Limited Edition Reissued by Arper
By Lina Bo Bardi
Located in Danville, CA
Lina Bo Bardi's Bowl Chairs in three-way pop purple, fuchsia, and orange combo tightly woven tweed. This fanciful design pairs high modern design and comfort versatility with levity ...
Steel
Sold
H 30 in W 34 in D 34 in
Bardi’s Bowl Chair, Red, Arper, Lina Bo Bardi, 1951, 2012, Ltd. Edition, Italy.
By Arper, Lina Bo Bardi
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Bardi’s Bowl Chair, Red, Arper, Lina Bo Bardi, 1951,2012, Ltd. Edition, Italy. Labelled and numbered. Limited edition of 500. Revolutionary for its time, the Bardi's Bowl Chair tra...
Stainless Steel
lina bo bardi giraffe stool
By Lina Bo Bardi
Located in Tomi, Nagano
giraff stool manufactured by Baraúna designed by Lina Bo Bardi. This carbon version is not normally sold. It was probably created as a prototype. So it means early product.
Hardwood
Sold
H 29.93 in W 15.36 in D 16.93 in
Girafa Chair 3-Piece Set by Lina Bo Bardi , 2022, Marcenaria Baraúna
By Lina Bo Bardi
Located in Tokyo, Tokyo
Design：Lina Bo Bardi, Marcelo Ferraz, Marcelo Suzuki Material：Tauari Design for the restaurant at the "House of Benin" in Salvador, Brazil. The "House of Benin" is an institution designed by Lina Bo Bardi in Salvador, where many of the residents are from the African Republic of Benin. Named "Girafa...
Wood
Girafa Chair by Lina Bo Bardi , 2022, Marcenaria Baraúna
By Lina Bo Bardi
Located in Tokyo, Tokyo
Design：Lina Bo Bardi, Marcelo Ferraz, Marcelo Suzuki Material：Tauari Design for the restaurant at the "House of Benin" in Salvador, Brazil. The "House of Benin" is an institution designed by Lina Bo Bardi in Salvador, where many of the residents are from the African Republic of Benin. Named "Girafa...
Wood
Sold
H 33.47 in W 21.26 in D 18.9 in
C12 Chairs, Lina Bo Bardi for Paubra, 1950s, Brazilian Mid-Century Modern
By Lina Bo Bardi
Located in Sao Paulo, SP
Introducing the C12 chair, a true gem of design designed by renowned architect Lina bo Bardi. With a fascinating history, the C12 is a testimony to Bardi's genius and visionary appro...
Faux Leather, Hardwood
Lina Bo Bardi SESC Stools Pompeia, Brazil, 1980
By Lina Bo Bardi
Located in Roosendaal, Noord Brabant
Striking pair of 'SESC' stools designed by Lina Bo Bardi, Marcelo Ferraz and Marcelo Suzuki and created for the centre SESC Pompeia in Sao Paulo, Brazil 1...
Pine
Lina Bo Bardi Scissors Chairs Brazil 1948
By Lina Bo Bardi
Located in Roosendaal, Noord Brabant
Super rare and beautiful, fully original 'scissors' lounge chairs designed by Lina Bo Bardi and manufactured by Studio D'Arte Palma, Brazil 1948. These chairs have stunning solid tea...
Faux Leather, Teak
Lina Bo Bardi Midcentury Bowl Chair in Iron and Plastic, 1950s
By Lina Bo Bardi
Located in Milano, IT
Bowl chair designed by Lina Bo Bardi and produced in 1951. With the bowl armchair Lina, it combines Brazil's predilection for pronounced shapes with European industrial minimalism, a...
Iron
Sesc Pompeia Stool by Lina Bo Bardi, 1980s, Brazil
By Lina Bo Bardi
Located in Tokyo, Tokyo
Lina Bo Bardi Secs Pompeia Stool 1980s, Brazil Very heavy solid wood. Original vintage condition. Designed for the library in Sesc Pompeia, a cultural ce...
Wood
Bench by Lina Bo Bardi
By Lina Bo Bardi
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Braun and ipe wood slatted bench by Lina Bo Bardi. Made in Brazil, circa 1950.
Wood