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 - Limited Edition Artist Hand-knotted Wool and Silk Rug 6' x 4'
By Pedro Friedeberg
Located in Miami, FL
Pedro Friedeberg is a legendary Mexican artist known for his fantastical, surrealist creations that blend architecture, design, and intricate patterns. His most iconic work, the Hand...
Wool, Silk
$8,141
W 66.93 in L 94.49 in
Green field Tibetan Snow Leopard Modern Rug Hand Knotted Wool and Silk Fine Art
Located in Lohr, Bavaria, DE
Green field Tibetan Snow Leopard Modern Rug Hand Knotted Wool and Silk Fine Art A beautiful contemporary design carpet, made to order, hand knotted using finest Chinese mulberry sil...
Wool, Silk
$2,550
W 35.44 in L 70.87 in
Tibetan Tiger Rug Wool and Silk Hand Knotted Gold Blue by Djoharian Collection
Located in Lohr, Bavaria, DE
A Tibetan Tiger rug, hand knotted in Nepal. This traditional Tiger rug design is typically found on antique rugs called Khaden. It describes a small sized rug of about 3 x 6 ft that...
Wool, Silk
$8,024 / item
W 96.07 in L 120.08 in
Djoharian Design Striped Wool Silk Rug Modern Contemporary Art Hand Knotted
Located in Lohr, Bavaria, DE
A beautiful contemporary modern design rug, hand knotted using finest wool bamboo silk in 10 x 8 ft / 305 x 244 cm. By Djoharian Design. Striped des...
Wool, Silk
$192
W 12.01 in L 12.01 in
Tibetan Tiger Rug Hand Knotted Wool Rust Silk Graphite by Djoharian Collection
By djoharian-design
Located in Lohr, Bavaria, DE
A Tibetan Tiger rug, hand knotted in Nepal, 2/3 silk and 1/3 wool pile. => This is a sample rug! This particular rug is very fine in knotting and quality. Our collection of Tibeta...
Wool, Silk
$14,991 / item
W 74.81 in L 114.18 in
La Lomita carpet, Hand Knotted, 200knots, Wool and Silk, Liliana Ovalle
Located in Milan, Lombardy
This rug is made of wool and silk. A very rich carpet that represents the succession of houses in the suburbs of Mexico City. From year to year these houses are painted with the avai...
Wool
Modern Rug Domus 6 x 4 ft Contemporary Art Wool and Silk hand-knotted
Located in Lohr, Bavaria, DE
Design Rug Domus 6 x 4 ft MD 393 VEG LS for living room, dining room, bedroom - 180 x 120 cm Hand-knotted designer rug - our luxury quality rugs are not tufted or hand loomed. They a...
Wool, Silk
$4,367 / item
W 55.12 in L 78.75 in
Tibetan Tiger Rug Wool and Silk Hand Knotted Gold Blue by Djoharian Collection
By djoharian-design
Located in Lohr, Bavaria, DE
A Tibetan Tiger rug, hand knotted in Nepal, silk and wool pile. This traditional Tiger rug design is typically found on antique rugs called Khaden. It describes a small sized rug of...
Wool, Silk
$24,867 / item
W 185 in L 300 in
Tacua Fukushimae, Hand Knot, Wool and Bamboo Silk, 200 Kpi, 1, Lanzavecchia +Wai
By Lanzavecchia + Wai
Located in Milan, Lombardy
‘Mutazioni’ is a collection of two carpets displaying a top-down view of fictitious insects: One is Tacua Fukushimae. Measures: 85 x 3 m. This arthropod animal has been conceived fr...
Wool, Bamboo
$14,559 / item
W 98.43 in L 118.12 in
Contemporary Rug Heriz Splashed Hand Knotted Modern Design Wool and Silk
Located in Lohr, Bavaria, DE
A beautiful contemporary modernized Persian design hand knotted using finest wool and silk in 8 x 10 ft By Djoharian Design. Modern desiger rug in style of a Persian Heriz in a new...
Wool, Silk
$2,329 / item
W 39.38 in L 78.75 in
Tibetan Rug Hand Knotted Silk Wool Meditation Mat Kampa Dzong Djoharian Design
By djoharian-design
Located in Lohr, Bavaria, DE
A stunning Tibetan rug in checkerboard design. This traditional checkerboard rug design is typically found on antique rugs called Khaden. It describes a small sized rug of about 3 x 6 ft that was used in Tibet to decorate columns or seat pad. Often these Khaden rugs had Lotus design, Dragons or Tiger stripes. Many of them were made in a town called Kampa Dzong in Tibet. Our collection of Tibetan rugs offers new, vintage and antique Tibetan rugs. The displayed rug is made of 50% Tibetan hand spun wool and 50% fine Chinese mulberry silk. Total pile height about 1/2-inch, Knot density 60 Tibetan knots per square inch. This rug has a fantastic feel, very soft and smooth. We can reproduce this design in sizes up to 45 x 16 ft on order. Other color combinations are possible. Goes great with Art Deco or Hollywood Regency interior design, but will be an eye catcher in any room, no matter if it is a living room, dining room or bedroom. Interior designers welcome. Very fine wool and silk quality. Current production of the Djoharian Design...
Wool, Silk
Modern Oasis Hand Knotted Wool, Silk Rug by Doris Leslie Blau
Located in New York, NY
Modern Oasis Hand Knotted Wool, Silk Rug by Doris Leslie Blau Size: 10'0" × 14'2" (304 × 431 cm) A contemporary hand knotted angora wool and silk rug. The free shape organic fields o...
Wool, Silk
$4,996
W 66.93 in L 94.49 in
Red Contemporary Design Rug Hand Knotted Wool and Silk Djoharian Collection
By djoharian-design
Located in Lohr, Bavaria, DE
Contemporary Design rug hand knotted wool and silk by Djoharian Collection. A stunning modern rug red. Modern rug of fine quality. Design: 20 Dots Collection: Naturals by Djoharian ...
Wool, Silk