The prolific architect and designer Sergio Rodrigues is often called the "father of modern Brazilian design," but it is the second adjective in that phrase that deserves emphasis: Rodrigues’s great achievement was to create furniture in a style that captured the spirit, character and personality of his country.
Modernity came slowly to 20th-century Brazil, politically and culturally. The nation finally realized genuine constitutional democracy in 1945, ushering in a new, progressive era in the arts. More often than not, the luxurious furnishings of that time and place, with their gleaming wood, soft leathers and inviting shapes, share a sensuous, uniquely Brazilian quality that distinguishes them from the more rectilinear output of American mid-century modernists and Scandinavian makers of the same era. Until that time in Brazil, heavy furniture based on historical European models had been the norm.
In the late 1940s, designer Joaquim Tenreiro introduced sleek, minimalist chairs and cabinets; José Zanine Caldas, now best known for his later artisanal work, created plywood furnishings for mass production; the Italian architect Lina Bo Bardi, a former editor for the Gio Ponti-founded magazine Domus — and a furniture designer with talent, imagination and a social conscience — set up shop in São Paulo, designing elegant, flexible chairs set on slim metal frames.
This was the heady scene into which Rodrigues, the son of an artistically prominent Rio de Janeiro family, arrived after graduating in 1952 from the national university. He moved to Curitiba and helped establish the furniture manufacturer Móveis Artesanal with Italian designer Carlo Hauner and Austrian architect Martin Eisler — as well as Carlo’s brother Ernesto Hauner — which eventually rebranded as Forma. Later, Rodrigues relocated to Rio de Janeiro where he founded Oca in 1955, a company that would become the preeminent maker and retailer of modernist furniture in Brazil.
When architects Lúcio Costa and Oscar Niemeyer were tasked in 1956 with the whirlwind project to plan, design and build the new capital, Brasília, in five years, they used Rodrigues’s early chairs, with their softly-contoured lines and caned seats and backrests, to furnish many of the buildings.
Rodrigues would realize the true expression of his talents in — and garner international awards and acclaim with — his Mole chair of 1957. The word mole means "soft" in Portuguese, but can be interpreted as "easygoing" or even "listless." The chair, which is also known as the Sheriff chair, features a sturdy, generously proportioned frame of the native South American hardwood jacaranda, upholstered with overstuffed leather pads that flap like saddlebags across the arms, seat, and backrest.
Rodrigues's Mole chair invites sprawling — perfect for the social milieu of the bossa nova and caipirinha cocktails; where a languorous afternoon spent chatting and joking is the apex of enjoyment. The seat won first prize at the IV Concorso Internazionale del Mobile in Cantù, Italy, in 1961, and ISA Bergamo acquired the rights to manufacture a modified version of Rodrigues’s original design.
In 1963, Rodrigues established a shop called Meia-Pataca, which sold simpler and more affordable furniture he had designed, such as his Tonico seating, which was intended for student housing.
Most of the estimated 1,200 armchairs, sofas, tables, storage cabinets and dining tables Rodrigues created in his long career are imbued, in one way or another, with the air of robust relaxation that defines the Mole chair. He was a designer who was true to the temperament of his people.
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Sergio Rodrigues Floor Lamp "Augusto" 1965
By Sergio Rodrigues
Located in Barcelona, ES
Sergio Rodrigues Floor Lamp "Augusto" Manufactured by OCA Brazil, 1965 Chrome-plated steel, Jacaranda, Fabric Measurements Ø46×147hcm Ø 18,1 x 57,9h in Literature Sergio Rodrigues,...
Fabric, Jacaranda
Tcheko Light, Sergio Rodrigues
By Sergio Rodrigues
Located in Los angeles, CA
Tcheko Light
Chrome
Vintage Alfa Table Lamps by Sergio Mazza, Murano Glass, 1959-1960
By Sergio Mazza, Artemide
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
A vintage Mid-Century modern pair of Italian table lamps, model Alfa are made of hand blown Murano glass, designed by Sergio Mazza and produced by Artemide, in good condition. The slightly smoked round shades of the desk lights are enhanced by a brass ring with a polished knob, featuring a two light socket. The base is made of hand crafted polished Rosewood. The wires have been renewed. Wear consistent with age and use. Circa 1959 - 1960, Pregnana Milanese, Italy. Base: 1.5" H x 5.5" diameter Shade: 5.75" x 13.75" diameter Sergio Mazza is an Italian designer, born in 1931, in Milan, Italy. In 1955, Mazza opened his own business and since 1961 he stared working with G. Gramigna in the Smc study. Artemide is an Italian design-oriented manufacturer, founded in 1960, in Pregnana Milanese, Italy by the Italian engineer Ernesto Gismondi and Sergio Mazza. The company Artemide is well-known for their excellent design, for example the Tizio desk lamp designed by the German industrial designer Richard Sapper. Many well-known designers and architects have worked together with the company, such as the Swiss architect Mario Botta, the English architect Sir Norman Foster any many others. Artemide has won the Compasso d’Oro award for lifetime achievement in 1995 and the European Design Prize in 1997. Artemide lamps...
Metal, Brass
$2,487Sale Price|20% Off
H 10.24 in W 13.39 in D 13.39 in
Sergio Mazza Chioccio White Aluminum Chrome Table Lamp Quattrifolio 1970s Italy
By Sergio Mazza, Quattrifolio
Located in Lisboa, PT
A sculptural and rare lighting object, the Chioccio table lamp was designed by Sergio Mazza for Quattrifolio in the 1970s and manufactured in Rozzano, Milan. Named after the Italian ...
Metal, Chrome
$2,695Sale Price|32% Off
H 58.75 in W 29.5 in D 15.25 in
1970s Sergio Asti Acrylic Shade Floor Lamp, Italy
By Bilumen, Sergio Asti
Located in St- Leonard, Quebec
Rare floor lamp by Sergio Asti. Large slot vented acrylic shade sitting on a chrome structure. Each shade measure 13.50 in. long by 7.5 in. high. ...
Chrome
Alfetta Table Lamp by Sergio Mazza for Artemide, Italy, 1960s
By Sergio Mazza, Artemide
Located in Hagenbach, DE
The Alfetta table lamp was designed by Sergio Mazza for Artemide in the 1960s and is a refined example of Italian mid-century lighting design. Known for his precise and rational aest...
Metal
Sergio Mazza 'Alfa' Marble and Crystal Glass Table Lamp for Artemide
By Artemide, Sergio Mazza
Located in Glendale, CA
Sergio Mazza 'Alfa' marble and crystal glasstable lamp for Artemide. The very first Artemide design, the 'Alfa' used delicate glass, luxurious marble and nickel-plated metal to emb...
Marble, Metal, Nickel
T.H. Robsjohn-Gibbings Brass Floor Lamp, 1965
By T.H. Robsjohn-Gibbings
Located in Hamburg, PA
Iconic Mid-Century Modern floor lamp designed by T.H. Robsjohn-Gibbings for Hansen Lighting Co. Featuring a minimalist, solid brass square stem rising from a cruciform base, topped w...
Brass
$1,609
H 74.41 in W 14.97 in D 13.98 in
Stilnovo floor lamp model Zagar by Sergio Carpani, Italy, 1978.
By Stilnovo
Located in Chiavari, Liguria
Halogen floor lamp in painted metal with an adjustable diffuser, model Zagar, designed by Sergio Carpani, produced by Stilnovo, 1978. This halogen floor lamp, produced by Stilnovo i...
Metal
Monumental Brass Torchiere Floor Lamp, Italian work, circa 1965
By Stilnovo
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
Monumental Brass Torchiere Floor Lamp Italian or French work, circa 1965-1970 A refined and architecturally balanced brass torchiere floor lamp composed of a slender co-lumn rising ...
Metal, Brass
Two Sergio Mazza 'Alfa' table lights. Original edition c1960
By Sergio Mazza, Artemide
Located in London, GB
Matched pair of original Sergio Mazza table lights from 1960s Italy Marble, glass and nickelled brass. Original edition from 1960s with the 'ring' finial All in very good conditi...
Marble, Brass, Nickel
Rare Floor by Sergio Mazza for Artemide
By Sergio Mazza, Artemide
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Rare Floor by Sergio Mazza for Artemide (IT, 1959) Marble base, steel stem, enameled socket housing, reeded glass, and finally white opal top diffuser. The post floor lamp holds thr...
Marble, Aluminum, Steel
$4,080Sale Price|52% Off
H 55 in Dm 14.56 in
Brass Glass Floor Lamp Style Fontana Arte, Italy, circa 1965
By Fontana Arte
Located in Vienna, AT
Rare floor lamp style Fontana Arte brass glass, Italy, circa 1965 Rare floor light comprised of brass, curved glass, Italy, 1965. Handmade from thr...
Brass
$5,023
H 14.97 in W 23.63 in D 23.63 in
Magnolia Table Lamp by Sergio Mazza for Quattrifoglio, Italy 1971
By Sergio Mazza, Quattrifolio
Located in Roma, IT
Iconic table lamp realized by Sergio Mazza for Quattrifoglio in 1971. Incamiciato lattimo glass and chromed metal. Excellent condition. Ref. G. Gramigna, Repertorio del design ita...
Metal
Sérgio Augusto Floor Lamp by Sergio Rodrigues
By Sergio Rodrigues
Located in Long Island City, NY
Sérgio Augusto Floor Lamp by Sergio Rodrigues embodies the essence of contemporary design with its chrome-plated steel frame and wood detailing and oversized fabric shade. About Ser...
Steel, Chrome
Sérgio Rodrigues, Table Lamps "Tcheko", 1960
By Sergio Rodrigues
Located in PARIS, FR
This lamp by Sergio Rodrigues, resting on four square section legs in solid "freijo" wood, with a chromed metal structure and a square hemp shade. Created during the OCA period, t...
Metal
Pair of Lamps by Sergio Rodrigues
By Sergio Rodrigues
Located in Paris, FR
Famous pair of metal and wood amazing lamps by Sergio Rodrigues. Chromed brass ended by wood pieces. Shades mesurements: H. 40 cm, diam. 36 cm and 40 cm.
1960-1970 Brazilian Spotlight in the style of Sergio Rodriguez
By Sergio Rodrigues
Located in Paris, FR
1960-1970 spotlight in the style of Sergio Rodriguez, with head mounted on a double ball-bearing (see view 7).
Metal