Large Sofa with Side Tables, by Joaquim Tenreiro, Mid-Century Modern
View Similar Items
Large Sofa with Side Tables, by Joaquim Tenreiro, Mid-Century Modern
About the Item
- Creator:Joaquim Tenreiro (Author)
- Design:Modulated Sofa
- Dimensions:Height: 29.53 in (75 cm)Width: 31.5 in (80 cm)Depth: 157.49 in (400 cm)
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1950s
- Condition:Reupholstered.
- Seller Location:Sao Paulo, BR
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU3173315791692
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.
- Lounge Chair, by Joaquim Tenreiro, Brazilian Mid-Century ModernBy Joaquim TenreiroLocated in Sao Paulo, SPThe simple lines and the overall lightness of this armchair are both signatures of Joaquim Tenreiro's work. This is a piece that also reflects the craft and wisdom in the use of trop...Category
Mid-20th Century Brazilian Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsJacaranda
- Wall Unit in Hardwood, by Joaquim Tenreiro, Brazilian Mid-Century ModernBy Joaquim TenreiroLocated in Sao Paulo, SPThis wall is a fine example of Joaquim Tenreiro's work, which is emblematic of the mid-20th century modern Brazilian furniture design. Tenreiro is often celebrated as a pioneer of mo...Category
Mid-20th Century Brazilian Mid-Century Modern Bookcases
MaterialsHardwood
- Rare Small Desk for Bloch, by Joaquim Tenreiro, Brazilian Mid-Century ModernBy Joaquim TenreiroLocated in Sao Paulo, SPThis writing table by Joaquim Tenreiro is a paragon of Brazilian mid-century modernism, distinguished by its sleek geometry, graceful proportions, and a seamless blend of time-honore...Category
Mid-20th Century Brazilian Mid-Century Modern Desks and Writing Tables
MaterialsHardwood
- Desk with Painted Glass Top, Joaquim Tenreiro for Bloch Editors, Mid-CenturyBy Joaquim TenreiroLocated in Sao Paulo, SPElevate your space with this exquisitely crafted rosewood desk, a masterpiece designed by the legendary Joaquim Tenreiro (1906-1992). This splendid piece once graced the interior of ...Category
Late 20th Century Brazilian Mid-Century Modern Desks and Writing Tables
MaterialsGlass, Hardwood
- Caola Sofa, by Sérgio Rodrigues, Brazilian Mid-Century ModernBy Sergio RodriguesLocated in Sao Paulo, SPThis sofa, designed by Sérgio Rodrigues, is an exquisite piece of mid-century modern furniture that embodies the distinctive character of Brazil...Category
Mid-20th Century Brazilian Mid-Century Modern Sofas
MaterialsFabric, Hardwood
- Caola Sofa, Sergio Rodrigues, Brazilian Mid-Century ModernBy Sergio RodriguesLocated in Sao Paulo, SPThis sofa, produced by Sergio Rodrigues in a Brazilian midcentury modern style has a structure in jacarandá rosewood and was reupholstered in...Category
Mid-20th Century Brazilian Mid-Century Modern Sofas
MaterialsLinen, Rosewood
- Sofa by Joaquim TenreiroBy Joaquim TenreiroLocated in London, GBRare sofa by Joaquim Tenreiro. Preserves traces of manufacture's label on the back.Category
Mid-20th Century Brazilian Mid-Century Modern Sofas
MaterialsFabric, Hardwood
Price Upon Request - Canapé Sofa by Joaquim Tenreiro, Amoreira Wood, Cane, Mid-Century Modern, C.1960By Joaquim TenreiroLocated in New York, NYJoaquim Tenreiro (1906-1992) is known as the “father” of Brazilian modernism, being one of the pioneers, with a work that reflects a refined coexistence of traditional values and mod...Category
Vintage 1960s Brazilian Mid-Century Modern Sofas
MaterialsCane, Wood
- Joaquim Tenreiro Curva SofaBy Joaquim TenreiroLocated in New York, NYJoaquim Tenreiro was among the leading furniture designers and visual artists in mid-20th century Brazil. Tenreiro was born in Portugal into a family of woodworkers and carpenters. In the late 1920s, he emigrated to Rio de Janeiro and began working for the firm of Laubisch Hirth...Category
Mid-20th Century Sofas
MaterialsFabric, Jacaranda
$60,000 - Curved Sofa by Joaquim Tenreiro, 1960s, Midcentury, BrazilBy Joaquim TenreiroLocated in New York, NYJoaquim Tenreiro (1906-1992) designed and produced the Curved Sofa in circa 1960, commercializing it in his company Tenreiro Móveis e Decorações – with stores in São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro. A wooden frame comprises a shell-shaped piece with soft nubuck leather upholstered padding and cushions. Tenreiro's design choice for the feet contrasts with the curved upholstery, bringing four rectangular legs made of solid Brazilian...Category
Vintage 1960s Brazilian Mid-Century Modern Sofas
MaterialsLeather, Rosewood
- 1960's Brazilian Modern Sofa “Concha” in Hardwood & Fabric, by Joaquim TenreiroBy Joaquim TenreiroLocated in New York, NYAvailable right now, this beautiful Brazilian modern sofa, designed by Joaquim Tenreiro in the sixties, is absolutely stunning. The model is cal...Category
Vintage 1960s Brazilian Mid-Century Modern Sofas
MaterialsFabric, Wood
- Two-Seat Sofa with Rosewood Frame Designed by Joaquim TenreiroBy Joaquim TenreiroLocated in New York, NYTwo-seat sofa with rosewood frame and upholstered cushions. Designed by Joaquim Tenreiro, Brazil, circa 1960s.Category
Vintage 1960s Brazilian Sofas
MaterialsRosewood
Price Upon Request