The sculptor and painter Pedro Friedeberg worked in a richly detailed, Surrealist and eccentric artistic style that blended influences from neoclassical art, M.C. Escher and native Mesoamerican symbolism. He was 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.
Aves IV Mixed Media Artwork, Contemporary Silver, Unframed
By Pedro Friedeberg
Located in Ciudad de México, MX
Maestro Pedro Friedeberg's works take us to a universe where birds serve as metaphors for freedom and transcendence. Against a light, profound background, the birds rise in metallic ...
Silver
$625
H 70 in W 60 in
Jeff Koons Monkey Train beach towel (Jeff Koons Monkey Train blue)
By Jeff Koons
Located in NEW YORK, NY
Jeff Koons Monkey Train beach towel 2008: A highly decorative limited edition 2008 Jeff Koons Monkey Train towel. Measuring 70x60 inches - this work would look outstanding framed. This outstanding Jeff Koons Monkey Train collectible...
Cotton, Digital, Lithograph, Screen
1990
Located in New York, NY
Rebecca Warren 1990 2007 Lithographic print on MDF, with pom-pom, cotton thread, wood shaving, twig, and wood chip 16 x 9 x 3 inches; 41 x 23 x 8 cm Edi...
Thread, Wood, Lithograph, Cotton, Mixed Media
$18,800
H 49.5 in W 37.5 in D 6 in
Contemporary Mixed Media Sculpture, Framed Hand Made Paper with Gold Leafing
By Katherine Glover
Located in St. Louis, MO
Contemporary Mixed Media Sculpture, Framed Hand Made Paper with Gold Leafing Glover did not begin her career as an artist. After receiving an MBA from Harvard Business School, she s...
Silver, Gold Leaf
Untitled - Painting, Ink and silver leaf on canvas
By Padideh Dehdari
Located in London, GB
Padideh Dehdari’s practice is defined by a unique fusion of abstraction, calligraphic gesture, and layered surfaces that draw from both Persian artistic heritage and contemporary exp...
Silver
Sylvesters Head in The Clouds
By Olivia Gibb
Located in Kansas City, MO
Title : Sylvesters Head in The Clouds Materials : stamps, ink, crayon,marker,pen Date : 2017 Dimensions : 8.5x11"
Mixed Media
"Petrushka", Hand Ground Pigments on Canvas
By Sax Berlin
Located in Brecon, Powys
A stock character of Russian marionette theatre since the 18th Century, set in St. Petersburg this is a burlesque tale of unrequited love. Charlatan...
Silver Leaf
$5,500
H 21 in W 21 in D 3.5 in
Rare XL Vintage Blue Horse. silkscreen on glass bowl, Rosenthal for Andy Warhol
By Andy Warhol
Located in New York, NY
Andy Warhol (After) Vintage Large Rosenthal Bowl (Blue Horse), ca. 1991 Large Silkscreen Glass bowl (authorized signature fired onto plate) Warhol's signature is printed on the plate...
Glass, Mixed Media, Screen
$2,800
H 3.6 in W 3.6 in D 0.3 in
Tracey Emin, Limited Edition Docket the cat, Leather Purse, signed #40/100 w/bag
By Tracey Emin
Located in New York, NY
Tracey Emin Limited Edition Docket Purse, 2011 Leather purse with zipper with original price tag in Selfridges bag 3 3/5 × 3 3/5 × 3/10 inches Edition 40/100 Signed in plate, Bears T...
Leather, Mixed Media
Harlequin On Fire. Contemporary Figurative Oil Painting
By Sax Berlin
Located in Brecon, Powys
Harlequin On Fire from the studio of Sax Berlin. Vivid colour reflects the face of Harlequin; he gazes back as the fire rages; will he plunge into the inferno...
Silver Leaf
$2,040
H 7.88 in W 19.69 in
Bellflower by Chen Yiching - Contemporary nihonga painting, flora, light tones
By Yiching Chen
Located in Paris, FR
Bellflower is a unique painting by contemporary artist Chen Yiching. The painting is made with mineral pigments, gold and silver leaf on Japanese paper mounted on wood, dimensions ar...
Silver, Gold Leaf
$12,500
H 31.25 in W 31.25 in D 7 in
"Fishermen At Kanagawa", Dimensional, Wall Sculpture, Hand Made Paper, Silver
By Katherine Glover
Located in St. Louis, MO
Glover did not begin her career as an artist. After receiving an MBA from Harvard Business School, she served as an international consultant in strategy, industry best practices, and...
Silver, Gold Leaf
$1,870
H 39.38 in W 38.59 in
Untitled - Painting, Ink, gold and silver leaf on canvas
By Padideh Dehdari
Located in London, GB
Padideh Dehdari’s practice is defined by a unique fusion of abstraction, calligraphic gesture, and layered surfaces that draw from both Persian artistic heritage and contemporary exp...
Silver, Gold Leaf
Sold
H 15.75 in W 15.75 in
El Hipopótamo from the book "La Jungla" Sonetos de Guadalupe Amor
By Pedro Friedeberg
Located in Cuauhtemoc, Ciudad de México
The Hippopotamus Pedro Friedeberg Original Ink on paper. This image belongs to the book "La Jungla" (The Jungle) sonnets by Guadalupe Amor. With Certificate of Authenticity from th...
Paper, Ink
Decapitaciones Trantamorficas
By Pedro Friedeberg
Located in Cuauhtemoc, Ciudad de México
"TRANTAMORPHIC BEHEADINGS" Pedro Friedeberg Original Mixed media on paper. Pedro Friedeberg is a Mexican artist and designer known for his surrealist work filled with lines colors a...
Mixed Media, Paper
Siluetas Peligrosas
By Pedro Friedeberg
Located in Cuauhtemoc, Ciudad de México
"DANGEROUS SILHOUETTES" Mixed media on Museum board. Pedro Friedeberg is a Mexican artist and designer known for his surrealist work filled with lines colors and ancient and religi...
Mixed Media, Illustration Board
Capilla Particular
By Pedro Friedeberg
Located in Cuauhtemoc, Ciudad de México
"PARTICULAR CHAPEL" Mixed media on Museum board. Pedro Friedeberg is a Mexican artist and designer known for his surrealist work filled with lines colors and ancient and religious ...
Mixed Media, Illustration Board
Salón de los Espejos Negros
By Pedro Friedeberg
Located in Cuauhtemoc, Ciudad de México
"BLACK MIRRORS HALL" Mixed media on Museum board. Pedro Friedeberg is a Mexican artist and designer known for his surrealist work filled with lines colors and ancient and religious...
Mixed Media, Illustration Board