Martin Eisler and Carlo Hauner Rare Pair of Rattan Armchairs, Brazil, 1950
About the Item
- Creator:
- Dimensions:Height: 30 in (76.2 cm)Width: 29 in (73.66 cm)Depth: 32 in (81.28 cm)
- Sold As:Set of 2
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:circa 1950
- Condition:Refinished. Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:New York, NY
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU3576323958032
Carlo Hauner and Martin Eisler
Forma began in São Paulo, under the leadership of Italian designer Carlo Hauner and Austrian architect and interior designer Martin Eisler. Hauner studied drawing and technical drawing at the Brera Academy in Milan. After participating in the Venice Biennale, he emigrated to São Paulo, where he established the furniture manufacturer Móveis Artesanal, for which Carlo and Martin — as well as Carlo’s brother Ernesto Hauner — would create a range of pieces for the home.
In 1936, Eisler earned a degree in architecture from the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna, where he studied under Oskar Strnad and Clemens Holzmeister. With World War II looming, he left Austria immediately after graduating. He first went to Czechoslovakia, to which some of his family had already fled. In 1938, he moved to Buenos Aires, Argentina, and opened his interior design firm Interieur Forma.
Eisler relocated to Brazil in the early 1950s, where he met Hauner. At the time, Eisler had been looking for help producing furniture for his brother-in-law, Ernesto Wolf, and contacted Hauner. The two found that they had a shared vision, and with financial help from Wolf, they opened Galeria Artesanal as a storefront for Móveis Artesanal.
Looking to expand into international sales, the duo rebranded the company Forma. Sérgio Rodrigues, who helped launch a branch of Artesanal in Curitiba, was put in charge of interiors at Forma. That company soon became one of the biggest names in Brazilian furniture — it sold its own sculptural rattan lounge chairs, bookcases and other case pieces crafted with rosewood or jacaranda, and Forma was eventually distributing furniture licensed from iconic American manufacturer Knoll, thereby bringing works by noted designers such as Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, Charles Eames and Harry Bertoia to the Brazilian market.
Forma stands at the forefront of a revival of Brazilian modern furniture. Fashioned from high-grade regionally sourced hardwoods, leather and iron, even Forma's earliest creations have stood the test of time. The company’s alluring mid-century modern works appealed to homeowners at its peak, from the 1950s through the ’70s, and given the broadening interest in Brazilian furniture and the likes of designers such as Rodrigues, vintage Forma is making a major comeback today.
The Forma furniture company continued producing masterfully crafted furniture into the 1970s, until Eisler's death in 1977. Forma folded soon after, but Eisler's company in Argentina, Interieur Forma, is still in business today.
On 1stDibs, find vintage Carlo Hauner and Martin Eisler furniture for sale.
Martin Eisler
Martin Eisler was an influential figure in mid-century modern furniture design, particularly within the Brazilian design movement. Born in Vienna, Austria, in 1913, Eisler was part of a generation of European architects and designers whose work and lives were profoundly affected by the upheaval of the Second World War. His father was the art historian Max Eisler, a founding member of the Austrian Werkbund, which likely influenced Eisler's early exposure to design and architecture.
It was in Brazil that Eisler's design sensibilities fully blossomed. He met Carlo Hauner, with whom he would form a formidable partnership, founding the iconic Brazilian furniture company Forma. Their designs are celebrated for integrating Brazilian materials and craftsmanship with modernist design principles, creating furniture that was both accessible and aesthetically sophisticated.
Eisler's furniture designs, such as the Reversível and Costela chairs, are lauded for their innovative use of materials and form. His work often featured Brazilian woods and thin tubular frames, showcasing a finesse in blending structure with visual lightness. The collaboration between Eisler and Hauner was marked by a shared vision that helped define Brazilian mid-century modern design, making it distinctive and sought after globally.
Find vintage Martin Eisler furniture on 1stDibs.
(Biography provided by Herança Cultural)
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Ships From: New York, NY
- Return PolicyThis item cannot be returned.
- Augusto Romano, Architectural Mahogany Armchair and Ottoman, Italy, 1950sBy Augusto RomanoLocated in New York, NYAugusto Romano (1918-2001) A stunning armchair and ottoman set by Torinese modernist architect Augusto Romano, in mahogany with brass detailing, upholstered in a deep chartreuse. An...Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsFabric, Mahogany
- Joaquim Tenreiro: Exceptional Pair of Jacaranda Armchairs, Brazil 1940'sBy Joaquim TenreiroLocated in New York, NYJoaquim Tenreiro (1906 - 1992) A stunning pair of armchairs of exceptional lightness and elegance, in jacaranda, by pioneer of Brazilian modernism Joaquim Tenreiro. With their slim...Category
Vintage 1940s Brazilian Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsFabric, Hardwood
- Elegant Pair of Reclining Green Armchairs in Fruitwood and Brass, Italy 1950sLocated in New York, NYItaly, 1950s. A graceful pair of adjustable reclining armchairs in mahogany-stained fruitwood with brass detailing, upholstered in a light chartreuse. The sculpted arms, resting el...Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsBrass
- School of Turin: Dynamic Pair of Geometric Armchairs in Oak, Italy 1950sLocated in New York, NYSchool of Turin An energetic, sculptural pair of modernist armchairs in blond oak, upholstered in blue velvet. With their dynamic engineering, these masterful School of Turin chairs...Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsOak
- Gio Ponti, Exceptional Pair of Rare Wingback Armchairs in Walnut, Italy, 1940sBy Gio PontiLocated in New York, NYGio Ponti (1891 - 1979) A rare and extraordinary pair of wingback armchairs by modernist master Gio Ponti, in polished walnut with white bouclé upholstery. The chairs' striking fili...Category
Vintage 1940s Italian Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsBouclé, Walnut
- George Nakashima, Rare Sculptural Pair of Conoid Chairs in Walnut, Signed, 1989By George NakashimaLocated in New York, NYGeorge Nakashima (1905–1990) An exceptional pair of Conoid chairs by Pennsylvania studio craft movement patriarch George Nakashima, among the last he sculpted before his death. In ...Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Chairs
MaterialsHickory, Walnut
- Pair of High Armchairs by Carlo Hauner and Martin Eisler, Brazilian DesignBy Carlo Hauner, Martin Eisler, Carlo Hauner and Martin EislerLocated in New York, NYThis stunning armchair was produced by the Brazilian Forma S.A. Móveis e Objetos de Arte in the 1950s. The piece is made of an iron structure and upholstered seats and backrests. ...Category
Vintage 1950s Brazilian Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsIron
- Pair of Armchairs by Carlo Hauner and Martin Eisler, Brazilian Midcentury, 1955By Carlo Hauner, Martin Eisler, Carlo Hauner and Martin EislerLocated in New York, NYThis stunning armchair was produced by the Brazilian Forma S.A. Móveis e Objetos de Arte in the 1950s, a company directed by Carlo Hauner and Martin Eisler. The piece is made of an iron structure and upholstered seats and backrests. This singular design consists of upholstered geometrical backs and armrests with shapes that embrace the body. Indeed, a very comfortable and elegant piece. Forma S.A. Móveis e Objetos de Arte was one of the pioneer companies and manufactured a few icons of Brazilian design history, such as the Costela Armchair designed by Eisler and the iconic chair that illustrates Móveis Artesanal's logotype designed by Hauner. The piece is in its original condition. Restoration...Category
Vintage 1950s Brazilian Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsIron
- Pair of Concha Wicker Armchairs Carlo Hauner and Martin Eisler circa 1953 BrazilBy Carlo Hauner, Forma Brazil, Martin Eisler, Carlo Hauner and Martin EislerLocated in New York, NYThis armchair is a gorgeous version of Concha, one of the most iconic pieces designed by Martin Eisler (1913-1977), with a single seat and backrests made with wicker. "Concha" is ...Category
Vintage 1950s Brazilian Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsIron
- Single Armchair by Carlo Hauner and Martin Eisler, Brazilian Midcentury, 1955By Carlo Hauner, Carlo Hauner and Martin Eisler, Martin EislerLocated in New York, NYThis fabulous armchair was designed by Martin Eisler and manufactured by Forma S.A. Móveis e Objetos de Arte in 1955. The piece is composed of an iron structure with brass tips and t...Category
Vintage 1950s Brazilian Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsIron
- Pair of Concha Chairs by Carlo Hauner and Martin Eisler, 1953, Brazilian DesignBy Carlo Hauner, Martin Eisler, Carlo Hauner and Martin EislerLocated in New York, NYConcha armchair is one of the most iconic pieces designed by Martin Eisler (1913-1977). The armchair was created in 1953 and produced by Móveis Artesanal and then Forma S.A. Móveis e Objetos de Arte. “Galeria Artesanal,” the first showroom that presented the furniture and objects created by Moveis Artesanal and HG Ceramica, used to sell the Concha Armchair and also show it in their advertisements in magazines. The armchair features a comfortable and extremely reclined shell-shaped upholstered seat that fits the body. Other pieces combined the same iron structure with different seat types in shell shape: upholstered, made of strings, or leather straps. The pieces are in original condition. Restoration services...Category
Vintage 1950s Brazilian Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsIron
- Concha by Carlo Hauner and Martin Eisler, Brazilian Midcentury Design, 1953By Carlo Hauner, Martin Eisler, Carlo Hauner and Martin EislerLocated in New York, NYThis armchair is a rare version of Concha, one of the most iconic pieces designed by Martin Eisler (1913-1977), with a single seat and backrests made with braided leather strips. ...Category
Vintage 1950s Brazilian Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsIron