Mario López Torres Mexican MCM Chuspata Fiber and Metal Chandelier
View Similar Items
Mario López Torres Mexican MCM Chuspata Fiber and Metal Chandelier
About the Item
- Creator:Mario Lopez Torres (Artist)
- Dimensions:Height: 35.44 in (90 cm)Diameter: 24.81 in (63 cm)
- Style:Folk Art (In the Style Of)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1974
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:Mexico City, MX
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU3125314904561
Mario Lopez Torres
In the mountains of Mexico, furniture designer and master weaver Mario Lopez Torres works with locally sourced organic materials to painstakingly craft complex and elegant decorative objects, tables and seating.
Originally from Mexico City, Torres apprenticed for his father, who was a professional photographer, and at 13 years old enrolled in a school for the fine arts, as he had by then become deeply interested in illustration and working with clay. At 20, Torres pursued a dream of designing furniture — specifically, weaving. He traveled to Altepexi, a municipality in Puebla, to learn how its artisans wove works from a wooden vegetable reed that is native to the region.
Torres sought mentorship from the prevalent artists Ana Pellicer and James Metcalf in order to learn how to work with metal, as he would need to create frames of brass and copper that supported his woven structures. Torres traveled to the United States to purchase metalworking equipment and went on to establish his own workshop in a small mountain village back in Mexico.
Torres put his hands and imagination to work — he harvested courses of chuspata, which is a reed that grows abundantly on the shores of Lake Pátzcuaro in Michoacán, and welded frames that the reed is woven around. He sold his first piece of furniture in 1974.
Today, Torres creates works that are characterized by his affinity for nature. His palm floor lamps feature woven rattan — a light and versatile material that can mingle with a wide range of styles — while the lifelike monkeys, birds and other animals that support his tables, table lamps or adorn his mirror frames are crafted from chuspata and take on whimsical poses. They create a playful, provocative presence in any space.
Find Mario Lopez Torres seating, lighting and decorative objects on 1stDibs.
More From This Seller
View AllVintage 1950s Spanish Mid-Century Modern Scientific Instruments
Magnets
Vintage 1970s Mexican Mid-Century Modern Decorative Art
Stone
Vintage 1950s Mexican Mid-Century Modern Paintings
Paper
Vintage 1980s Italian Mid-Century Modern Chandeliers and Pendants
Chrome
Vintage 1970s Mexican Mid-Century Modern Vases
Silver Plate, Enamel
Vintage 1950s Mid-Century Modern Pitchers
Sterling Silver
You May Also Like
Vintage 1980s Mexican International Style Floor Lamps
Metal
Vintage 1970s Mexican Mid-Century Modern Wall Lights and Sconces
Brass
Vintage 1970s Mexican Mid-Century Modern Floor Lamps
Iron
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Floor Lamps
Iron
Vintage 1970s Mexican Post-Modern Floor Lamps
Rattan
Vintage 1970s South American Bohemian Wall Lights and Sconces
Rattan
