Brazilian Tribal Art
More often than not, vintage mid-century Brazilian furniture designs, with their gleaming wood, soft leathers and inviting shapes, share a sensuous, unique quality that distinguishes them from the more rectilinear output of American and Scandinavian makers of the same era.
Commencing in the 1940s and '50s, a group of architects and designers transformed the local cultural landscape in Brazil, merging the modernist vernacular popular in Europe and the United States with the South American country's traditional techniques and indigenous materials.
Key mid-century influencers on Brazilian furniture design include natives Oscar Niemeyer, Sergio Rodrigues and José Zanine Caldas as well as such European immigrants as Joaquim Tenreiro, Jean Gillon and Jorge Zalszupin. These creators frequently collaborated; for instance, Niemeyer, an internationally acclaimed architect, commissioned many of them to furnish his residential and institutional buildings.
The popularity of Brazilian modern furniture has made household names of these designers and other greats. Their particular brand of modernism is characterized by an émigré point of view (some were Lithuanian, German, Polish, Ukrainian, Portuguese, and Italian), a preference for highly figured indigenous Brazilian woods, a reverence for nature as an inspiration and an atelier or small-production mentality.
Hallmarks of Brazilian mid-century design include smooth, sculptural forms and the use of native woods like rosewood, jacaranda and pequi. The work of designers today exhibits many of the same qualities, though with a marked interest in exploring new materials (witness the Campana Brothers' stuffed-animal chairs) and an emphasis on looking inward rather than to other countries for inspiration.
Find a collection of vintage Brazilian furniture on 1stDibs that includes chairs, sofas, tables and more.
Mid-20th Century Other Brazilian Tribal Art
Sterling Silver
Mid-20th Century Other Brazilian Tribal Art
Sterling Silver
Mid-20th Century American Colonial Brazilian Tribal Art
Tin
Early 20th Century Tribal Brazilian Tribal Art
Brass
20th Century Tribal Brazilian Tribal Art
Clay
1950s Tribal Vintage Brazilian Tribal Art
Metal
Early 18th Century Antique Brazilian Tribal Art
Hardwood
15th Century and Earlier Tribal Antique Brazilian Tribal Art
Earthenware
Mid-19th Century Folk Art Antique Brazilian Tribal Art
Silver
Mid-20th Century Other Brazilian Tribal Art
Rattan, Wood
20th Century Folk Art Brazilian Tribal Art
Sandalwood
Early 20th Century Brazilian Tribal Art
Stone
Mid-20th Century Tribal Brazilian Tribal Art
Silver
Mid-20th Century Tribal Brazilian Tribal Art
Bamboo
Late 20th Century Brazilian Tribal Art
Early 20th Century Brazilian Tribal Art
Willow
Mid-20th Century Tribal Brazilian Tribal Art
Silver
Early 20th Century Brazilian Tribal Art
Willow
1920s Tribal Vintage Brazilian Tribal Art
Metal
Mid-20th Century Native American Brazilian Tribal Art
Silver
Mid-20th Century Tribal Brazilian Tribal Art
Wood
1940s Vintage Brazilian Tribal Art
Feathers
1940s Vintage Brazilian Tribal Art
Feathers
1940s Vintage Brazilian Tribal Art
Feathers
1940s Vintage Brazilian Tribal Art
Feathers
20th Century Tribal Brazilian Tribal Art
Natural Fiber
20th Century Tribal Brazilian Tribal Art
Canvas, Natural Fiber, Acrylic, Feathers
20th Century Tribal Brazilian Tribal Art
Reed
20th Century Tribal Brazilian Tribal Art
Reed
Early 20th Century Tribal Brazilian Tribal Art
Cotton, Lucite, Feathers
Early 20th Century Tribal Brazilian Tribal Art
Cotton, Lucite, Feathers
1940s Vintage Brazilian Tribal Art
Feathers
1940s Vintage Brazilian Tribal Art
Feathers