Pedro Friedeberg Furniture
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.
1990s American Pedro Friedeberg Furniture
Mahogany
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Pedro Friedeberg Furniture
Walnut
Mid-20th Century Mexican Mid-Century Modern Pedro Friedeberg Furniture
Mahogany
Mid-20th Century Mexican Mid-Century Modern Pedro Friedeberg Furniture
Cocobolo
1960s American Vintage Pedro Friedeberg Furniture
Wool, Faux Leather, Wood
Mid-20th Century Mexican Mid-Century Modern Pedro Friedeberg Furniture
Mahogany
Mid-20th Century Mexican Mid-Century Modern Pedro Friedeberg Furniture
Fruitwood
1910s American Vintage Pedro Friedeberg Furniture
Wood, Wool
1890s Indian Antique Pedro Friedeberg Furniture
Fabric, Teak
1830s English Antique Pedro Friedeberg Furniture
Fabric, Upholstery, Mahogany
Late 19th Century French Victorian Antique Pedro Friedeberg Furniture
Velvet, Nutwood
Early 2000s Mexican Post-Modern Pedro Friedeberg Furniture
Gold Leaf
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Pedro Friedeberg Furniture
Chestnut
1960s Mexican Vintage Pedro Friedeberg Furniture
21st Century and Contemporary Mexican Mid-Century Modern Pedro Friedeberg Furniture
Gold Leaf
