Pair of Concha Armchairs by Joaquim Tenreiro
About the Item
- Creator:Joaquim Tenreiro (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 28.35 in (72 cm)Width: 31.5 in (80 cm)Depth: 33.86 in (86 cm)Seat Height: 16.15 in (41 cm)
- Sold As:Set of 2
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1950
- Condition:Reupholstered. Wear consistent with age and use. The pair of armchairs presents new upholstery.
- Seller Location:Milan, IT
- Reference Number:
Joaquim Tenreiro
The Portugese-born furniture designer Joaquim Tenreiro was a pioneer of modernism in Brazil, where his work paved the way for the successes of such mid-20th-century design greats as Sergio Rodrigues, Jorge Zalszupin, and Lina Bo Bardi, an Italian-Brazilian architect whose futuristic São Paulo buildings are only part of her legacy.
Tenreiro’s vintage tables, chairs and storage cabinets are known for their simplicity of line and an elegance that is enhanced by the use of richly grained South American hardwoods such as jacaranda and imbuia.
Tenreiro’s father and grandfather were both master woodworkers, under whom he trained in the craft. He had artistic leanings and in the late 1920s enrolled as a university student at the School of Arts and Crafts in Rio de Janeiro, where he joined a group of upstart modernists protesting the staid, retrograde curriculum at the college. At the time, Brazil was culturally mired in a 19th-century mindset that was reflected in an upper-class preference for academic painting and reproduction furnishings in antique European styles. But the progressive spirit that Tenreiro and his colleagues fostered slowly gained force.
With the terms “lightness” and “functionality” as his bywords, Tenreiro opened a furniture-design business in 1943, where one of his first clients was the legendary architect Oscar Niemeyer. The arrival of Brazil’s first democratically elected government, in 1945, lent modernism official sanction, which culminated in the construction of the new capital, Brasília. Tenreiro eventually stepped away from design in the late 1960s to devote his time to sculpture and painting.
To appreciate how revolutionary Tenreiro’s work seemed, one must imagine the heavy, ornately carved, deeply varnished furniture that was the standard for top-end Brazilian interior design in the 1930s. Tenreiro’s chairs and sofas employed slender, softly angular frames that were only lightly stained to highlight the grains of the local woods. He preferred chairs and chaises with caned seats and backrests that “breathe” in the tropical climate, and as a carpenter and joiner he wanted to show off the beauty of Brazilian wood.
Two versions of a three-legged side chair introduced in 1947 serve as a veritable manifesto for a new age in Brazilian design: Using the stack-lamination technique, Tenreiro bonded together a gently contoured seat made of alternating layers of different-colored native woods to produce a magnificent stripe effect. These chairs, like all Tenreiro works, demonstrate the enduring power of simple design and superb construction — with a teaspoon of flair.
Find vintage Joaquim Tenreiro furniture on 1stDibs.
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Ships From: Cormano, Italy
- Return PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 14 days of delivery.
- Table by Joaquim TenreiroLocated in Milan, ITTable by Joaquim Tenreiro, Brazil, 1960. Wood, brass, marble. Measures: 90 x 187 x H 75 cm. 35.4 x 73.6 x H 29.5 in. Please note: Prices do not include VAT. VAT may be applied depend...Category
Vintage 1960s Brazilian Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Tables
MaterialsMarble, Brass
- Pair of Armchairs by Zanine CaldasBy José Zanine CaldasLocated in Milan, ITPair of armchairs by Zanine Caldas. Brazil, 1950s. Wood, fabric upholstery. Measures: 46 × 50 × H 74 cm, 18 × 20 × H 29 in. Please note: Prices do not include VAT. VAT may be appl...Category
Vintage 1950s Brazilian Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsFabric, Wood
- Pair of Armchairs Delfino by Erberto CarboniBy Eberto CarboniLocated in Milan, ITItaly, 1954 Manufactured by Arflex Black lacquered steel, fabric upholstery Literature: Domus n. 313, dicembre 1955, pubblicita.`Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsSteel
- Two Armchairs by MIMBy MIM RomaLocated in Milan, ITTwo armchairs by MIM, Italy, 1950s. Manufactured by MIM, Mobili Italiani Moderni. Metal, fabric upholstery. Measures: 63 x P 75 x H 72 H, seat 38 cm. 24....Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsMetal
- Armchair by Gustavo Pulitzer FinaliBy Gustavo Pulitzer FinaliLocated in Milan, ITArmchair by Gustavo Pulitzer Finali. Italy, 1956. Designed for the Cristoforo Colombo ship. Ash wood, velvet upholstery. Measures: 65 x 82 x H ...Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsFabric, Ash
- Armchair by Analogia ProjectBy Analogia ProjectLocated in Milan, ITArmchair by Analogia Project. Unfold collection. Italy, 2019. Nilufar edition. Bronze, velvet upholstery. Measures: 41.5 x 81.5 x H 83 cm, 16.3 x 32.08 x 32.7 in. Please note: P...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Armchairs
MaterialsBronze
- Joaquim Tenreiro Pair of Armchairs Model “Concha” Brasil, 1950By Joaquim TenreiroLocated in Barcelona, ESJoaquim Tenreiro Pair of armchairs model “Concha” Manufactured by Tenreiro Moveis e Decoraçaos Brasil, 1950 Pau marfim wood, upholstery From the archives of Side Gallery, Barce...Category
Vintage 1950s Brazilian Armchairs
MaterialsFabric, Wood
- Joaquim Tenreiro ArmchairBy Joaquim TenreiroLocated in Washington, DCManufactured by Tenreiro Moveis e Decoraçaos Brasil, 1954 Measurements 86 cm x 76 cm x 83 H cm 34 in x 30 in x 32.5 H in Provenance Private collection...Category
Mid-20th Century Brazilian Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsUpholstery, Wood
- Armchair by Joaquim TenreiroBy Joaquim TenreiroLocated in Barcelona, ESArmchair Manufactured by Joaquim Tenreiro Brazil, 1954 Peroba wood and leather upholstery Measurements 61x53x42hcm|24x21x16,5hinCategory
Vintage 1950s Brazilian Armchairs
MaterialsUpholstery
- Joaquim Tenreiro, Pair of Armchairs, 1950By Joaquim TenreiroLocated in Barcelona, ESPair of armchairs Manufactured by Tenreiro Moveis e Decoraçaos Brasil, 1950 Upholstery, jacaranda legs Measurements: 67 cm x 89 cm x 73 H cm 26.38 in x 35.04 in x 228.75 H in...Category
Vintage 1950s Brazilian Armchairs
MaterialsJacaranda
- Pair of Metal Leve Armchairs by Joaquim TenreiroBy Joaquim TenreiroLocated in Whitstable, GBJoaquim Tenreiro, leve armchairs (light) - 1960s. Metal version. Manufactured by Tenreiro Móveis e Decorações. Metal frame, armrests in Jacarandá. Metal ...Category
Mid-20th Century Brazilian Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsSteel
- Pair of Leve Metal Armchairs by Joaquim TenreiroBy Joaquim TenreiroLocated in Whitstable, GBJoaquim Tenreiro, Leve armchairs (light) - 1960s. Manufactured by Tenreiro Móveis e Decorações. Metal frame, armrests in Jacaradá. Metal shows signs of a...Category
Mid-20th Century Brazilian Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsSteel