Sofa by Joaquim Tenreiro
About the Item
- Creator:Joaquim Tenreiro (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 28.35 in (72 cm)Width: 76.38 in (194 cm)Depth: 27.17 in (69 cm)
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:circa 1960
- Condition:Reupholstered. Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:London, GB
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU5350227217702
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.
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Ships From: London, United Kingdom
- Return PolicyThis item cannot be returned.
- Low Chair by Joaquim TenreiroBy Joaquim TenreiroLocated in London, GBIconic "Cadeira Baixa" designed by Brazilian design master Joaquim Tenreiro in Perobinha do Campo wood.Category
Mid-20th Century Brazilian Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsCane, Hardwood
- "Leve" Armchair by Joaquim TenreiroBy Joaquim TenreiroLocated in London, GBElegant "Leve" armchair by Joaquim Tenreiro made in "Perobinha do Campo" wood. This chair was bought from its original owner in Minas Gerais - Brazil and it has been reupholstered...Category
Mid-20th Century Brazilian Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsFabric, Hardwood
- Bloch Desk by Joaquim TenreiroBy Joaquim TenreiroLocated in London, GBThis piece belonged to BLOCH EDITORES S.A. BUILDING which commissioned its interiors to Joaquim Tenreiro and Sergio Rodrigues. This desk presents both a patrimony label with an identification number as well as labels from "Tenreiro Moveis e Decoracoes...Category
Mid-20th Century Brazilian Mid-Century Modern Desks and Writing Tables
MaterialsHardwood
- Set of 12 "U" Chairs by Joaquim TenreiroBy Joaquim TenreiroLocated in London, GBProbably one of the most iconic creations my Joaquim Tenreiro, this set of 12 "U" dining chairs is made in "Perobinha do Campo", a wood widely used by Tenreiro throughout his career....Category
Mid-20th Century Brazilian Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsCane, Hardwood
- Pair of Armchairs by Joaquim TenreiBy Joaquim TenreiroLocated in London, GBIconic armchairs designed by Joaquim Tenreiro in 1958. These armchairs have been sourced directly from a private collection in Rio de Janeiro. Photos of them in their original ...Category
Mid-20th Century Brazilian Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsCane, Hardwood
- Franco Sofa by Sergio RodriguesBy Sergio RodriguesLocated in London, GBIconic and rare "Franco" sofa by Sergio Rodrigues.Category
Mid-20th Century Brazilian Mid-Century Modern Sofas
MaterialsFabric, Hardwood
- 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
- 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
- Joaquim Tenreiro Three-Seat Sofa, Brasil, 1954By Joaquim TenreiroLocated in Barcelona, ESJoaquim Tenreiro Three seats sofa Manufactured by Tenreiro Moveis e Decoraçaos Brasil, 1954 Jacaranda, upholstery From the archives of Side Gallery, Barcelona Measurements: ...Category
Vintage 1950s Brazilian Sofas
MaterialsFabric, Jacaranda
- Joaquim Tenreiro Three-Seat Sofa, Brazil, 1954By Joaquim TenreiroLocated in Barcelona, ESJoaquim Tenreiro Three seats sofa Manufactured by Tenreiro Moveis e Decoraçaos Brazil, 1954 Jacaranda, upholstery From the archives of Side Gallery, Barcelona Measurements: ...Category
Vintage 1950s Brazilian Sofas
MaterialsFabric, Jacaranda
- 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
- Midcentury Brazilian Sofa Design by Joaquim Tenreiro, Rosewood and Marble, 1960sBy Joaquim TenreiroLocated in New York, NYWood and Upholstery Restored. Marble in original condition Solid Rosewood structure, Rosewood veneers, Marble and Bossa Fabrics Upholstery.Category
Vintage 1960s Brazilian Mid-Century Modern Sofas
MaterialsMarble