1960s Leather Armachair by Jean Gillon for Probel, Brazil

About the Item

A 1960s cantilever armchair in good quality cognac leather on a hardwood frame by Jean Gillon for Problel. Jean Gillon was born in Romania and studied at the Faculty of Architecture and Fine Arts of the National University in Iasi. In 1956 he went to Brazil and founded Italma / Wood Art, a furniture company, which produced household items and furniture. During his lifetime, Jean Gillon participated in 24 international exhibitions and won 10 international awards. He was awarded 37 times in Brazil. Today, his works can be found in museums, hotels and other institutions.

Creator:

Jean Gillon (Designer),Probel (Manufacturer)

Dimensions:

Height: 31.5 in (80 cm)Width: 33.47 in (85 cm)Depth: 35.44 in (90 cm)Seat Height: 15.75 in (40 cm)

Style:

Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)

Materials and Techniques:

Hardwood,Leather

Place of Origin:

Brazil

Period:

Mid-20th Century

Date of Manufacture:

1960-1969

Condition:

Wear consistent with age and use. Minor fading. In good overall condition. Frame solid. Some surface wear to the right arm pad.

Seller Location:

London, GB

Reference Number:

1stDibs: LU7049230237352

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Shop All Jean Gillon

Jean Gillon

Although he was Romanian by birth, architect and designer Jean Gillon’s heart and soul belonged to his adopted country of Brazil. The country’s culture and revered architecture served as a muse for his mid-century furniture designs. Today Gillon ranks among the most interesting figures in Brazilian modernism, which is characterized by sensual forms and beautifully handcrafted chairs, tables and cabinets built from exotic hardwoods.

Gillon was born in Iasi and graduated from the city’s George Enescu National University of the Arts. He then moved to Paris, where he studied tapestry, worked at the newspaper Le Monde as a cartoonist and moonlighted as a set designer for the Paris Opera Ballet. He eventually left Paris for Vienna, where he studied architecture at the School of Industrial Arts, known today as the University of Applied Arts. In the early 1950s, Gillon was a visiting lecturer at London’s Central School of Arts and Crafts.

In 1956, Gillon moved with his wife and two daughters to São Paulo, where he developed a passion for Brazilian architecture, namely the work of modernists such as celebrated architect Lina Bo Bardi and designer José Zanine Caldas. Gillon took on interior decorating projects and formed the Fábrica de Móveis Cidam, which later became Italma Wood Art, in order to design furniture for his clients. Gillon’s furnishings, produced at Italma and also in collaboration with manufacturers such as Probel, were immensely popular and could be found in the planned capital city of Brasilia, a project launched in 1956 by Oscar Niemeyer.

Gillon designed everything from bowls and baskets to centerpieces, tables and other objects and furniture. However, he was best known for his lounge chairs and sofas, including his iconic Jangada chair. Named for the Portuguese word for traditional Brazilian fishing boats, the award-winning Jangada was framed in jacaranda in the late 1960s. The welcoming seat of Gillon’s visually striking trapezoidal lounge chair features plush leather cushions that are supported by nylon fishing rope.

Gillon continued to produce furniture for Italma Wood Art until he retired in 2003. He died in 2007, and today Gillon’s pieces remain highly covetable among interior designers and collectors of modern furniture.

On 1stDibs, find a range of vintage Jean Gillon seating, decorative objects and serveware.