Pair of Cognac Leather Lounge Chairs Model 'Aran' by Oscar Niemeyer, 1975
View Similar Items
Pair of Cognac Leather Lounge Chairs Model 'Aran' by Oscar Niemeyer, 1975
About the Item
- Creator:Oscar Niemeyer (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 30.32 in (77 cm)Width: 31.11 in (79 cm)Depth: 18.12 in (46 cm)Seat Height: 30.32 in (77 cm)
- Sold As:Set of 2
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1975
- Condition:
- Seller Location:Brussels, BE
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU2265324979302
Oscar Niemeyer
Oscar Niemeyer made modernist architecture sexy. In his signature designs, such as those for the planned capital city of Brasília, Niemeyer created a distinctively buoyant architectural vocabulary of sweeping curves, flowing lines and organic forms (attributes that also characterize his seductive furniture). As expressions of faith in the power of modern architecture and design to foster progress, Niemeyer’s buildings have a kind of heroic poetry.
Oscar Ribeiro de Almeida Niemeyer Soares Filho was born to an upper-middle-class family in Rio de Janeiro. (His father was a graphic designer.) While in graduate school, Niemeyer began working for Lúcio Costa, one of the few modernist architects working in Brazil in the 1930s. Niemeyer would be assigned to the design team for a new building in Rio for the Ministry of Education and Health. The famed Swiss-born French architect Le Corbusier was hired as a consultant on the project, and through him Niemeyer would absorb many lessons in bringing a sense of structural lightness to large buildings — though he would never embrace the geometric forms espoused by Le Corbusier and the members of the Bauhaus.
“I am not attracted to straight angles or to the straight line, hard and inflexible, created by man,” Niemeyer would write in his memoirs. “I am attracted to free-flowing sensual curves.”
Nowhere would Niemeyer demonstrate his love of curvature more expressively and elegantly than in his designs for the principal buildings for Brasília, a project begun in 1956. The dramatic Congressional Palace features two stark towers flanked by a domed structure and a bowl-shaped edifice, for the upper and lower legislative houses. He placed the Palácio da Alvorada (the presidential residence) on a small peninsula jutting into a lake, so that the sequence of parabolic columns on its facade casts a mirror image on the water. Niemeyer’s grandest achievement was the city’s cathedral, a stunning composition of 16 arched vertical supports with tinted-glass interstices.
Four years after Brasília was completed, in 1960, Brazil’s elected government was overthrown in a military coup. Niemeyer, a member of the Communist party, was harassed continually by the junta. He left the country and did not return until democracy was restored, in 1985.
While in exile, in the early 1970s, Niemeyer began collaborating on furniture designs with his daughter, Anna Maria Niemeyer. Their best known pieces are seating furniture — the Alta lounge chair and ottoman and the Rio rocking chaise, which have flowing bases made of sheets of lacquered wood or stainless steel, share the aesthetics of Niemeyer’s architecture.
The Alta’s deep, oversized seat pads nod — much like the chair designs of Niemeyer’s countryman Sergio Rodrigues — to the Brazilian penchant for long, languorous conversations. Examples of both designs are priced at about $20,000, depending on age, condition and materials. As you will see on these pages, Oscar Niemeyer’s furniture designs are sleek, sculptural, comfortable and elegant — as well as a compact emblem of the work of one of the great architects of our time.
Find vintage Oscar Niemeyer lounge chairs, tables and other furniture on 1stDibs.
- Mid-Century Modern Rare "Aran" Lounge Chair Oscar Niemeyer, 1970sBy Oscar NiemeyerLocated in Brussels, BEMid-Century Modern Rare "Aran" Lounge chair by Oscar Niemeyer, 1975. "Oscar Niemeyer made modernist architecture sexy. In his signature designs, such as those for the planned capita...Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsStainless Steel
- Pair of Lounge ChairsLocated in Brussels, BECategory
Vintage 1970s European Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsMetal
$3,797 - Coffee Table by Oscar Niemeyer for Tepperman Brasile, 1970sBy Oscar NiemeyerLocated in Brussels, BECoffee table by Oscar Niemeyer for Tepperman Brasile, 1970s - Aegean marble top and ebonised wood legs.Category
Vintage 1970s Brazilian Coffee and Cocktail Tables
MaterialsMarble
- Coffee Table by Oscar Niemeyer for Tepperman Brasile, 1970sBy Oscar NiemeyerLocated in Brussels, BECoffee table by Oscar Niemeyer for Tepperman Brasile, 1970s - Aegean marble top and ebonized wood legs.Category
Vintage 1970s Brazilian Coffee and Cocktail Tables
MaterialsMarble
- Mid-Century Pair of Lounge Chairs by Ross Littell for ICF, Black Leather, ItalyBy Ross LittellLocated in Brussels, BEMid-Century Pair of Lounge Chairs by Ross Littell for ICF, Black Leather, Italy, 1970sCategory
Vintage 1970s Lounge Chairs
MaterialsLeather
- Contemporary Lounge Chair in Lacquered Steel Model ''Parad'' by Axel ChayLocated in Brussels, BEContemporary lounge chair in lacquered steel model ''PARAD'' by Axel Chay - Marseille France.Category
2010s French Lounge Chairs
MaterialsSteel
- Oscar Niemeyer White "Alta" Lounge ChairBy Oscar NiemeyerLocated in Edogawa-ku Tokyo, JPWhite "Alta" lounge chair designed by Oscar Niemeyer. White leather upholstery and steel. This individual was exhibited at “Oscar Niemeyer - Territories of Creation” at Instituto Tomie Ohtake...Category
Vintage 1970s Brazilian Lounge Chairs
MaterialsSteel
- White Leather Alta Lounge Chair and Ottoman by Oscar NiemeyerBy Oscar Niemeyer, Mobilier InternationalLocated in Madrid, ESIconic 'Alta' lounge chair with ottoman designed by Brazilian architect Oscar Niemeyer and manufactured by Mobilier International in France. Made of steel with white leather upholste...Category
Late 20th Century French Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsSteel
- Oscar Niemeyer "Alta" Chair & OttomanBy Oscar NiemeyerLocated in Padova, ITOascar Niemeyer Alta chair & ottoman in black leather for Mobilier International, France. Low seat edition. Satin stainless steel structure, fixing knobs, a...Category
Vintage 1970s French Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsSteel
- 1970s Alta Lounge Chair Attributed to Oscar Niemeyer for Mobilier Intl of FranceBy Oscar Niemeyer, Mobilier InternationalLocated in Philadelphia, PAWe present this 'Alta' lounge chair, featuring a curved brushed stainless steel frame, and a generous seat pad that is upholstered in a black fabric. The chair was acquired from a Philadelphia-area estate, accompanied by other noteworthy pieces by Mies Van Der Rohe, Florence Knoll, and Finn Juhl. The chair was designed in 1971 by Oscar Niemeyer, in collaboration with Anna Maria Niemeyer. This particular example is attributed to Mobilier International as far as production, though the piece is unmarked. This special piece was launched in France, and was Niemeyer’s first foray into the field of industrialized and commercialized furniture. This is a listing for one lounge chair. The chair measures 45 inches in depth, 31 inches in width and 31 inches tall. The seat height is 18 inches. The black upholstery is in wonderful condition and the thick foam seat pad is intact and is in great shape. The chair shoes some light wear from use. Oscar Niemeyer was a critical figure in the Brazilian Modernist architectural movement, and the capital city of Brasilia owes much of its curvaceous futuristic facade to his vision. The acquisition of this important chair...Category
Vintage 1970s French Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsSteel
- Oscar Niemeyer Alta chair & ottoman Mobilier InternationalBy Oscar NiemeyerLocated in Padova, ITOscar Niemeyer Alta chair for Mobilier International, France. 1970s. Brushed steel structure joined by plastic knobs, movable backrest, black...Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsStainless Steel
- Oscar Niemeyer White Armchair and Ottoman "Brazilia ON1" ModelBy Oscar NiemeyerLocated in Saint Ouen, FROscar Niemeyer Fauteuil et ottoman modèle Brazilia ON1, couleur noir Édition mobilier international circa 1975 Très rare fauteuil et son ottoman modèl...Category
Vintage 1970s Brazilian Armchairs
MaterialsStainless Steel