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
$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
$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
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
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
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
Antique Gilt Bronze Mantel Clock by Sevin and Barbedienne
By Ferdinand Barbedienne, Louis-Constant Sevin
Located in London, GB
This ormolu clock is an exemplary work by the famous French 19th century metalworker and foundry-owner, Ferdiand Barbedienne. Working with a design made by the acclaimed onamentalist, Louis-Constant...
Ormolu, Bronze
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
Carved Hand Chair after Pedro Friedeberg
By Pedro Friedeberg
Located in NYC, NY
A unique, hand-carved wood chair in the shape of a cupped hand with detailing down to the wrinkles and fingernails. The base whimsically detailed as a shirt cuff with buttons. Solid....
Wood
Pedro Friedeberg Crocodile Bronze Sculpture
By Pedro Friedeberg
Located in Mexico City, MX
Crocodile wearing black heels. Bronze sculpture. Numbered IX / X. Signed by Pedro Friedeberg, Limited 10-pieces edition. Certificate included. Pedro Friedeberg was a Mexican artist ...
Bronze
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
$18,000
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 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