Bench by Martin Eisler & Carlo Hauner, Brazil, 1950s

View Similar Items

Carlo Hauner and Martin Eisler Rare bench - 1950s Italian Scandinavian Design

Martin Eisler & Carlo Hauner Reversível Chair, Brazil, 1950s

Caviuna Wood Slatted Bench by Carlo Hauner and Martin Eisler, 1955, Midcentury

Martin Eisler & Carlo Hauner 'Reversivel' Pair Edition Forma , Brazil, c. 1950s

Carlo Hauner and Martin Eisler Concha Lounge Chair, Brazil - 1950s

"Concha" Sofa by Carlo Hauner and Martin Eisler, Modern Brazilian Design, 1950s

Brazilian Modern Chair in Cane & Iron by Carlo Hauner & Martin Eisler, 1950s

Concha Lounge Chairs Carlo Hauner Martin Eisler, Brazil, 1950

Carlo Hauner Martin Eisler Concha Lounge Chair, Brazil, 1950

Set of two garden armchairs, by Carlo Hauner. and Martin Eisler. Brazil, 1950s.

Brazilian Mid Century Armchairs, Martin Eisler & Carlo Hauner, Brazil, 1960s

Chair by Carlo Hauner and Martin Eisler, Midcentury Brazilian Design

Want more images or videos?

Request additional images or videos from the seller

1 of 5

Bench by Martin Eisler & Carlo Hauner, Brazil, 1950s

About the Item

Costela (Rib) bench by Martin Eisler and Carlo Hauner, icons of Brazilian 1950s design, and winner of the Milanese Compasso d’Oro award. With its sensual aesthetic, natural materials and intelligent design. Carlo Hauner (1927-1997) and Martin Eisler (1913-1977) were the primary designers for the iconic Brazilian furniture company Forma. Their narrative spans four countries (Italy, Austria, Brazil, and Argentina) and several decades. There is much left to discover about the history of this firm, but their exceptional works are already highly sought-after examples of the vibrant modern design movement in Latin America. Born in Brescia, Italy, Hauner studied art and design in Milan and immigrated to Brazil after World War II. He began his career as a painter, but decided to start a furniture production company, purchasing a manufactory owned by Lina Bo Bardi and P. M. Bardi, and naming the new business Móveis Artesanal (Artisanal Furniture). Carlo Hauner was also a partner in another company, H. Cerâmica, and along with his brother Ernesto, inaugurated a showroom with the intention to sell decorative accessories in ceramics and glass. They called this store Forma. Móveis Artesanal and Forma eventually came to coexist, and the companies were soon unified as Forma S/A Móveis e Objetos de Arte. (Forma: Furniture and Objects of Art). Martin Eisler was born in Vienna, Austria, and from an early age was exposed to art and design criticism through his father, the Austrian art historian Max Eisler, who was a founding member of the Austrian Werkbund, the progressive modernist association of artists, architects, designers, and engineers. Eisler studied architecture and design at the School of the Applied Arts in Vienna under noted modernists such as the architect Oskar Strnad. Due to Eisler’s Jewish heritage and the Nazi annexation of Austria in 1938, Eisler immigrated to Buenos Aires, Argentina, where he began exhibiting his furniture designs. There he also worked as an architect, set designer, and interior designer. Eisler became acquainted with Hauner after going to São Paulo to design an apartment and had the furniture pieces he created produced at Artesanal. Hauner appreciated his work and Eisler eventually reestablished himself in the Brazilian city and became a partner in the business in 1953. In the late 1950s Carlo Hauner decided to return to Italy and opened a branch of Forma in Brescia, which was ultimately unsuccessful. Even though he did have a prosperous career as a freelance designer, Hauner ultimately decided to go back to his roots as a painter, and additionally developed a career producing wine. In Brazil, Forma was led by Martin Eisler as the artistic director and Ernesto Wolf as the managing director. Forma continued its model of serialized production and achieved great success in the diffusion of modern furniture, especially from 1959 onwards when it signed a contract with Knoll International. This partnership was a milestone that brought major names in international design to Brazil: Eero Saarinen, Florence Knoll, Harry Bertoia and Marcel Breuer. Eisler also opened a branch of Forma in Buenos Aires as an architectural, industrial and interior design firm with partners Arnold Hakel and Susi Aczel, which is still in business today, and known as Interieur Forma.

Creator:
Carlo Hauner and Martin Eisler (Designer)
Dimensions:
Height: 13 in (33.02 cm)Width: 26 in (66.04 cm)Depth: 12 in (30.48 cm)Seat Height: 13 in (33.02 cm)
Style:
Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
Materials and Techniques:
Metal,Wood
Place of Origin:
Brazil
Period:
1950-1959
Date of Manufacture:
1950s
Condition:
Reupholstered. Wear consistent with age and use. Excellent.
Seller Location:
New York, NY
Reference Number:
1stDibs: LU788719573002