Pedro Friedeberg Iconic Wood Hand Chair, 1960s

About the Item

This beautiful golden brown Pedro Friedeberg hand chair was commissioned in the 1960s and is crafted of solid Honduran Mahogany. In 1961 when Pedro was working with artist Mathias Goeritz, Mathias was collaborating with a highly-skilled, master carpenter named Jose Gonzales and asked Pedro if he could keep Jose busy while he left Mexico on a trip to Europe. Pedro's collaboration with Jose was the inception of the iconic hand chair. These early examples carved by Gonzalez from the designs of Friedeberg are highly sought after by collectors. The details in the hand sculptures from this era are extraordinary and this example is no exception. This chair is prominently signed on the base and is a museum-grade example. Comes from the Toronto Museum collection.

Creator:
Pedro Friedeberg (Artist)
Dimensions:
Height: 34.65 in (88 cm)Width: 19.69 in (50 cm)Depth: 20.87 in (53 cm)Seat Height: 6.5 in (16.5 cm)
Style:
Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
Materials and Techniques:
Mahogany
Place of Origin:
Mexico
Period:
Mid-20th Century
Date of Manufacture:
1960s
Condition:
Wear consistent with age and use. Water spots on seat.
Seller Location:
Brussels, BE
Reference Number:
1stDibs: LU6101233422732
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Pedro Friedeberg

The sculptor and painter Pedro Friedeberg works in a richly detailed, Surrealist and eccentric artistic style that blends influences from neoclassical art, M.C. Escher and native Mesoamerican symbolism. He is best known for his Hand chair — a functional sculpture that is an icon of design-as-art.

Friedeberg was born in Florence to German parents and moved with his mother to Mexico at the outset of World War II. As a university student in Mexico City in the 1950s, he initially studied architecture, but his designs for fantastical buildings ran afoul of his rationalist, Bauhaus-oriented teachers.

By chance, Friedeberg’s drawings came to the attention of Mathias Goeritz, the German-born Dadaist painter and sculptor. He encouraged Friedeberg and made him a protégé. Friedeberg credits his mentor for instilling in him a fanatical attention to detail in his work. Friedeberg produced his first Hand chair in 1961, and has since created numerous iterations. He has also made several variants using other human limbs in different functional forms such as tables and clocks.

While Friedeberg’s sculptures have a gentle character that is sometimes described as spiritual, his paintings and prints are something entirely different. He employs deep perspective to create hypnotic, painstakingly rendered canvases that suggest rooms and cityscapes.

Whatever the medium, Friedeberg’s work is arresting and instantly recognizable. The Hand chair, though familiar, remains a captivating piece — both furniture and artwork — that stands apart in any interior. Examples are often priced between $20,000 and $30,000, depending on formal variations (such as a foot-shaped pedestal), material and condition. Smaller functional items such as tabletop clocks bring about $9,000. His paintings and drawings require space; they are meant to be contemplated. Prices on original examples start at about $30,000; prints generally sell in the region of $900.

As you will see on 1stDibs, the art and design of Pedro Friedeberg is singular and memorable.