Brazilian Collectibles and Curiosities
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.
19th Century Baroque Antique Brazilian Collectibles and Curiosities
Wood
1950s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Collectibles and Curiosities
Hardwood
2010s Brazilian Collectibles and Curiosities
Fiberglass, Foam
20th Century Brazilian Collectibles and Curiosities
Walnut
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Collectibles and Curiosities
Bronze
1960s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Collectibles and Curiosities
Glass, Wood
Late 18th Century Baroque Antique Brazilian Collectibles and Curiosities
Cedar
Late 20th Century Modern Brazilian Collectibles and Curiosities
Metal
Late 20th Century Modern Brazilian Collectibles and Curiosities
Metal
2010s Brazilian Collectibles and Curiosities
Paper
Late 18th Century Antique Brazilian Collectibles and Curiosities
Paper
2010s Brazilian Collectibles and Curiosities
Multi-gemstone, Quartz
2010s Brazilian Collectibles and Curiosities
Multi-gemstone, Quartz
1950s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Collectibles and Curiosities
Rosewood
2010s Post-Modern Brazilian Collectibles and Curiosities
Metal
Late 17th Century Baroque Antique Brazilian Collectibles and Curiosities
Cedar
1980s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Collectibles and Curiosities
Paper
2010s Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Collectibles and Curiosities
Paper
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Collectibles and Curiosities
Stone
1960s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Collectibles and Curiosities
Wood
2010s Brazilian Collectibles and Curiosities
Quartz, Stone
1950s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Collectibles and Curiosities
Paper
Mid-20th Century Brazilian Collectibles and Curiosities
Silver
2010s Brutalist Brazilian Collectibles and Curiosities
Brass
1970s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Collectibles and Curiosities
Paper
Late 17th Century Baroque Antique Brazilian Collectibles and Curiosities
Cedar
18th Century and Earlier Antique Brazilian Collectibles and Curiosities
Agate
Mid-19th Century Folk Art Antique Brazilian Collectibles and Curiosities
Cedar
15th Century and Earlier Antique Brazilian Collectibles and Curiosities
Tourmaline
1970s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Collectibles and Curiosities
Resin
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