Unilabor Seating

This incredible set of eight MT 552 chairs designed by Geraldo de Barros (1923-1998) and manufactured by Unilabor has a frame in solid rosewood with cane backrests and seats. Because...

For the most refined collector, I can't think of anything better than this (very) rare pair of armchairs by famed Brazilian artist, designer and photographer Geraldo de Barros, circa 1955 Brazil, which feature exotic grained Jacaranda Rosewood case and arms over black iron frames, and best of all - signed underneath one chair with its original Unilabor label and accompanying Brazilian tax stamps. This pair of functional art is also a marker of design history from one of the most celebrated Brazilian artists of the mid-20th century. Ideal for collectors, connoisseurs, and the world's top interior designers but hurry, fine art investors are now buying up beautiful assets such as these - and as rare as these are, I don't think they will last long on the open market. The Brazilian Rosewood case on each chair has vivid grain details which are most noticeable on the back side. I absolutely love how the thin tubular iron frame wraps around and supports the wood case which cradles the newly upholstered bouclé cushions. By the way, we kept the original black leatherette cushions which are included with the chairs. My advice is to use the new bouclé cushions and keep the black leatherette cushions stored away safely in the closet. They are great to keep for collectors, and the new bouclé cushions are fantastic to use. We upholstered them in a beautiful ivory (off-white) color and are made from Alpaca wool, the most expensive and luxurious bouclé that we know of. For the newer design enthusiasts who also have the wherewithal to acquire a pair of chairs such as these, the information above may not ring as profoundly to you as they do to those who are experienced collectors and investors. What is perhaps more special for you is also more simple: Your friends don't have these chairs or anything like them, and while they are exceptionally rare and unique they are also very refined and elegant - not flashy at all. It shows that you have sophistication and style without having to wear it on your sleeves. Yes they are comfortable, and yes the exotic materials possess great value on their own, especially since Jacaranda Rosewood is now an endangered species. But that's not why these chairs are perfect for you. They are perfect because if you buy them now - before someone else does - they will be your idyllic reflection of you, that only you have. ABOUT THE ARTIST (from Sicardi): Geraldo de Barros (1923 - 1998, Brazil) “A photograph belongs to the one who makes something out of it, not necessarily to the one who took it.” Geraldo de Barros began his investigations into photography in the mid-1940s in São Paulo. Invited by a friend to photograph soccer teams, de Barros’s first camera was built from a kit. Intrigued by the medium, he soon lost interest in pursuing commercial photography. He built a small photo studio and bought a 1939 Rolleiflex and, in 1949, he joined the Foto Cine Club Bandeirante, which was one of the few forums for the city’s photography enthusiasts. Members of the group were interested in pictorial photography and de Barros’s explorations of abstraction were met with little interest; his photographs were almost never included in the club’s exhibitions. That same year, de Barros was invited to create a photo laboratory in the new Museu de Arte de São Paulo, an important gesture toward including photography in contemporary art spaces. De Barros’s work from this period is characterized by scraped negatives, multiple exposures, and an interest in chance occurrences. He met art critic Mario Pedrosa and became interested in Gestalt theory and occupational therapy. Adon Peres writes, “The experience was to prove crucial for Geraldo, opening the way to far-ranging considerations on figure and form in relation to freedom of representation. Geraldo’s work, likewise, took on an ethical and human dimension that it was to retain throughout his life.” In 1950, the Museu de Arte de São Paulo Assis Chateaubriand (MASP) invited de Barros to exhibit his photographs, and he showed a selection from his Fotoformas series. The exhibition led to a fellowship opportunity to study abroad in Europe. Ironically, his studies in Europe would redirect his artistic work away from photography. While traveling, he studied painting and printmaking, and met important artists and theorists including Max Bill, Giorgio Morandi, and Francois Morellet. In 1952, de Barros returned to Brazil, and he became a central figure in São Paulo’s Concrete art movement. Interested in industrial design and modernization processes, he founded a collectivist furniture factory, Unilabor, in 1954. “(He) became interested in concepts such as the industrialization of the artistic gesture, the reproducibility of works of art, and, as a natural progression, in design and graphic art,” Peres writes. His work was included in the 1956 Exposição Nacional de Arte Concreta in São Paulo and in the 1960 exhibition Konkrete Kunst, 50 Jahre Entwicklung, organized by Max Bill in Zürich. In the mid-1960s, he left Unilabor and founded Hobjeto furniture factory. He also became interested in the social criticisms offered by Pop Art; in 1964, he showed figurative paintings with Nelson Leirner...

This is the most common version of the Unilabor iron chair, an iconic piece of Brazilian Design. This chair has been repainted and had the feet caps polished but not lacquered. Nem f...

This chair from 1958 is a rare variation of the iconic chair by Geraldo de Barros for his Unilabor company. The back slats for this chair descend below the seat to give even more ele...