Set of Brazilian Modern Jean Gillon Chairs 1960s in Jacaranda and black leather
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Set of Brazilian Modern Jean Gillon Chairs 1960s in Jacaranda and black leather
About the Item
- Creator:Jean Gillon (Designer),Italma (Manufacturer)
- Dimensions:Height: 24.81 in (63 cm)Width: 31.5 in (80 cm)Depth: 31.5 in (80 cm)Seat Height: 15.75 in (40 cm)
- Sold As:Set of 2
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1969
- Condition:These items are from the first owner, placed in a private holiday home. Hardly any traces of use.
- Seller Location:Beek en Donk, NL
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU1894310096903
Jean Gillon
Although he was Romanian by birth, architect and designer Jean Gillon’s heart and soul belonged to his adopted country of Brazil. The country’s culture and revered architecture served as a muse for his mid-century furniture designs. Today Gillon ranks among the most interesting figures in Brazilian modernism, which is characterized by sensual forms and beautifully handcrafted chairs, tables and cabinets built from exotic hardwoods.
Gillon was born in Iasi and graduated from the city’s George Enescu National University of the Arts. He then moved to Paris, where he studied tapestry, worked at the newspaper Le Monde as a cartoonist and moonlighted as a set designer for the Paris Opera Ballet. He eventually left Paris for Vienna, where he studied architecture at the School of Industrial Arts, known today as the University of Applied Arts. In the early 1950s, Gillon was a visiting lecturer at London’s Central School of Arts and Crafts.
In 1956, Gillon moved with his wife and two daughters to São Paulo, where he developed a passion for Brazilian architecture, namely the work of modernists such as celebrated architect Lina Bo Bardi and designer José Zanine Caldas. Gillon took on interior decorating projects and formed the Fábrica de Móveis Cidam, which later became Italma Wood Art, in order to design furniture for his clients. Gillon’s furnishings, produced at Italma and also in collaboration with manufacturers such as Probel, were immensely popular and could be found in the planned capital city of Brasilia, a project launched in 1956 by Oscar Niemeyer.
Gillon designed everything from bowls and baskets to centerpieces, tables and other objects and furniture. However, he was best known for his lounge chairs and sofas, including his iconic Jangada chair. Named for the Portuguese word for traditional Brazilian fishing boats, the award-winning Jangada was framed in jacaranda in the late 1960s. The welcoming seat of Gillon’s visually striking trapezoidal lounge chair features plush leather cushions that are supported by nylon fishing rope.
Gillon continued to produce furniture for Italma Wood Art until he retired in 2003. He died in 2007, and today Gillon’s pieces remain highly covetable among interior designers and collectors of modern furniture.
On 1stDibs, find a range of vintage Jean Gillon seating, decorative objects and serveware.
- Jean Gillon, Leather Chair and Ottoman, Brazil, circa 1960sBy Jean GillonLocated in New York, NYWith its slung arms, reclined seat, and plush, leather upholstery, this chair, created by Jean Gillon in the 1960s, possesses a quintessential Brazilian...Category
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Price Upon Request - Brazilian Modern Armchairs in Hardwood & Black Leather, Jean Gillon, 1960By Jean GillonLocated in New York, NYVery rare set of "Rodeio" lounge chairs designed by Jean Gillon for Italma in the 1960’s. The lounge chair structure is made of solid Jacaranda (Brazilian rosewood) and features the characteristic bend leg ends. The Jacaranda has been refinished and displays beautiful patterns characteristic of old Jacaranda. The cushions are supported by new leather straps and have been re-upholstered in black leather by one of Brazil’s finest upholsters. This lounge chairs are not only strikingly beautiful but very comfortable. A set like this will be a center piece in any living room and for avid collectors an absolute must. Literature (last images): • Contemporary Casa e Jardim (Brazil) publications • Jean Gillon. Artista Designer. By Enock Sacramento, Giancarlo Latorrica and Graca Bueno About the author…Jean Gillon is a Brazilian furniture designer born in Romania in 1919. He studied at the Architecture and Fine arts Schools at the National University. He founded his first company Fábrica de Móveis Cidam in 1961 after emigrating to São Paulo, Brazil in 1956. Gillon's firm designed many luxury hotels throughout Brazil and homes and stores. He was known for his one-of-a-kind tapestries. His second furniture company, WoodArt, produced full lines of Brazilian rosewood furniture...Category
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- Iconic Brazilian "Jangada" Lounge Chair by Jean Gillon in Jacaranda, 1968By Jean GillonLocated in Houston, TXJean Gillon, 'Jangada' armchair and ottoman, rosewood, nylon rope, cognac leather, Brazil, 1968. This robust and hefty armchair is designed by Jean Gillon. The originality of this...Category
Vintage 1960s Brazilian Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsLeather, Hardwood
- Rare pair of Jean Gillon "Rodeio" Easy Chairs, Brazil, 1960sBy Jean GillonLocated in Stockholm, SEProduced in the 1960s by Wood Art Brazil. Jean Gillon (1919–2007) was born in Lasi, Romania. In 1956, already possessing a consistent portfolio, he moved to São Paulo, where he dev...Category
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Price Upon Request - Jean Gillon Jangada Lounge Chair & Ottoman in Jacaranda & Leather, Brazil, 1960sBy Jean GillonLocated in Deland, FLNamed the "Jangada" chair, after the small rustic fishing boats used by fishermen along the northern coast of Brazil, this chair and ottoman set designed by the iconic Jean Gillon is...Category
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MaterialsJacaranda
- Brazilian Modern “Jangada” Armchair & Stool in Hardwood & Leather, Jean GillonBy Jean GillonLocated in New York, NYAvailable today, this Brazilian Modern “Jangada” lounge chair with stool in hardwood & leather by Jean Gillon designed in the 1960s is absolutely gorgeous! The chair's name, "Jangada," was named after the small rustic fishing boats used by fishermen along the northern coast of Brazil. The “purplish” tone of the wood chair contrasts nicely with the iconic caramel leather upholstery, adding to its luxurious and elegant appearance. The upholstery took three months to make and was done by some of the best upholsters in Rio de Janeiro following Gillon’s upholstery methodology (as is showcased in the vintage publications attached). Remains of the manufacturing seal can be seen in the wood base. The nets are new. Owning a "Jangada '' lounge chair is not just about acquiring a beautiful piece of furniture; it's also about possessing a part of Brazilian design history and culture. This chair is a testament to Jean Gillon’s creativity and vision, and it would make an excellent addition to any interior space that values and appreciates the significance of this design. Beyond its physical beauty and unique design, the "Jangada" lounge chair also embodies the Brazilian spirit, an specific aspect of Brazilian Modernism that can be seen in other brazilian icons like Sergio Rodrigues, the Tres Pies chair of Joaquim Tenreiro or the Canoa sofa of Liceu de Artes e Oficios. The gorgeous set is showcased in our showroom next to a Novo Rumo rosewood credenza, a bar cart designed by Geraldo de Barros and the convo looks nothing less than spectacular Size: H32.5, W36, D41.5, SH15.5 (in) H82.5, W91.4, D105.4, SH39.4 (cm) Jean Gillon is a Brazilian furniture designer born in Romania in 1919. He studies at the Architecture and Fine arts Schools at the National University. He founded his first company Fábrica de Móveis Cidam in 1961 after emigrating to São Paulo, Brazil in 1956. Gillon's firm designed many luxury hotels throughout Brazil and homes and stores. He was known for his one of a kind tapestries. His second furniture company, WoodArt, produced full lines of Brazilian rosewood furniture...Category
Mid-20th Century Brazilian Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsLeather, Natural Fiber, Hardwood, Wood
