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.
Pedro Friedeberg Silver Gilt Vintage Hand Clock
By Pedro Friedeberg
Located in Westport, CT
Pedro Friedeberg handcrafted silver leaf hand clock, vintage early 1960s, with original label from dated service inside, 1969.
Enamel, Silver
Surrealistic Sculptural Clock by Pedro Friedeberg
By Pedro Friedeberg
Located in Atlanta, GA
An iconic carved sculptural clock by the famed Mexican surrealistic artist and designer Pedro Friedeberg (Mexican, b. 1937) circa 1960s. The whimsical...
Wood
$18,500
Pedro Friedeberg Clock
By Pedro Friedeberg
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
A wonderful gold-leafed variation of this form. Signed under the foot.
Wood
Pedro Friedeberg Egyptian Cat Clock
By Pedro Friedeberg
Located in NYC, NY
A very unusual table clock designed by Pedro Friedeberg featuring a wooden black Egyptian cat with the clock on its torso. The clock is also made of wood,...
Wood
$8,000
H 21 in W 10.5 in D 11.25 in
Rare Iconic Surrealism Hand and Foot Sculpture by Pedro Friedeberg
By Pedro Friedeberg
Located in Atlanta, GA
An iconic hand-foot wood sculpture by celebrated Mexican American surrealist artist Pedro Friedeberg (1936-), circa 1960s. The tabletop model is of rare rendition in large size showc...
Wood
French Art Nouveau Sculpture Clock
Located in Long Island City, NY
French Art Nouveau sculpture with a clock decorated with a pair of women rejoicing in the season's harvest. In great condition. Sold as is...
Marble, Pewter
$5,750
H 13.25 in W 20.75 in D 10.5 in
Pedro Friedeberg Untitled (Hand Truck) Table Top Sculpture. Mexico, 1978, Signed
By Pedro Friedeberg
Located in Kansas City, MO
Surrealist sculpture by Mexican artist Pedro Friedeberg. This piece was created in 1978 featuring carved and gold leaf hands, carved walnut birds, carved wood hands, and brass elements attached to the lacquered wood truck...
Brass
Aristede De Ranieri Signed Art Nouveau Sculptural Mantel or Table Clock
By Aristide de Ranieri
Located in Hamilton, Ontario
Thia antique mantel or table clock was made by the well known Italian born sculptor Archimede de Ranieri, who did much of his work in France and made this in approximately 1900 in th...
Metal
Large French Walnut Brass Wall Sculpture Clock
Located in Rockaway, NJ
Mid-Century Modern French Deco style wall clock sculpture. Nice combination of solid brass and walnut details. Dated 1959, stamped: Made in France.
Brass
Pedro Friedeberg Zebra Bronze Sculpture
By Pedro Friedeberg
Located in Mexico City, MX
A zebra bronze sculpture by Italian-born Mexican artist Pedro Friedeberg. The zebra's series is 6 / 10 and has a dark patina finish. It is signed on the leg. The sculpture is mounted...
Bronze
$62,121
H 24.81 in W 10.44 in D 10.44 in
Antique French Gilt Bronze and Lapis Lazuli Mantel Clock after Falconet
By Étienne Maurice Falconet
Located in London, GB
French sculptor Etienne-Maurice Falconet (1716-1791) is the inspiration for this beautiful, sumptuous mantel clock. His clock, crafted in the late 18th Century and now on display at the Louvre Museum, caused such a stir when it was exhibited over 100 years later, at the Great Exhibition in Paris in 1900 that one reviewer claimed that it "attracted so much admiration from the crowds gathered around that the pressure was sufficient at times to endanger its safety." As well as this famed 'Three Graces...
Lapis Lazuli, Ormolu, Bronze
Mocap "White/Black" Illusionistic Wall Clock
Located in Maastricht, NL
Mocap (white-black) Illusionistic wall clock Design: Jan Paul “Time is an illusion” Most wall-clocks have the same basic shape: round. Also t...
Steel
Mocap 'Moonwalk' Illusionistic Wall Clock
Located in Maastricht, NL
Mocap (moonwalk) Illusionistic wall clock Design: JAN PAUL “Time is an illusion” Most wall-clocks have the same basic shape: round. Also the...
Steel
Pedro Friedeberg 1970's Gold Leaf and Wood Hand - Sun Sculpture
By Pedro Friedeberg
Located in Mexico City, MX
A 1970's carved wood with gold leaf "hand - sun" sculpture by Pedro Friedeberg. Signed on the base. Pedro Friedeberg was a Mexican artist and designer known by his surrealist work ...
Gold Leaf
$4,850
H 10.5 in W 14 in D 22.5 in
Pedro Friedeberg Moon Face with Hands Table Top Sculpture, 1970s, Signed.
By Pedro Friedeberg
Located in Kansas City, MO
Pedro Friedeberg Moon Face / Half Moon Table top Sculpture. Walnut and wood with gold leaf. Very good condition. Few if any signs of handling. Signed to the back "Pedro Friedebe...
Walnut, Giltwood
$18,000
H 25.5 in W 20.5 in D 8 in
French Figural Cherub Gilt Bronze & Marble Candelabra Clock Set, Circa 1820
Located in Charleston, SC
French figural cherub gilt bronze and marble three piece clock set flanked by gilt bronze marble sphere six light candelabras, central clock fla...
Marble, Bronze, Enamel
Pedro Friedeberg with Ceramic Table Clock
By Pedro Friedeberg
Located in Mexico City, MX
A surrealistic ceramic table clock by Mexican artist Pedro Friedeberg. The clock's ceramic body has a glossy finish with clay-colored strokes. The...
Ceramic
Pedro Friedeberg Surrealistic Sculptural Ceramic Mantel Clock
By Pedro Friedeberg
Located in Mexico City, MX
A surrealistic sculptural clock made in ceramic by Mexican artist Pedro Friedeberg. The clock's ceramic body has a marble finish. The clock's mechanism is a regular quartz movement f...
Ceramic
Surrealist Sculptured Clock by Pedro Friedeberg
By Pedro Friedeberg
Located in Atlanta, GA
An iconic sculptured clock by the famed surrealist artist and furniture designer Pedro Friedeberg (Mexican, b. 1937) circa 1960s. The piece from a series called "The Edge of Time...
Metal
A Surrealism Sculptured Clock Pedro Friedeberg
By Pedro Friedeberg
Located in Atlanta, GA
An iconic sculptured clock by the famed surrealist artist and furniture designer Pedro Friedeberg (Mexican, b. 1937). The piece is from a series called "The Edge of Time and Space" that exemplifies the whimsical design philosophy of Pedro Friedeberg. It features a painted and gilded carved wood human figure with an antique bronze horse...
Bronze
Pedro Friedeberg Astroclock-Ological Time
By Pedro Friedeberg
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
A wonderful Example of This Genre
Giltwood