Brazilian Decorative Art
More often than not, vintage mid-century Brazilian furniture designs, with their gleaming wood, soft leathers and inviting shapes, share a sensuous, unique quality that distinguishes them from the more rectilinear output of American and Scandinavian makers of the same era.
Commencing in the 1940s and '50s, a group of architects and designers transformed the local cultural landscape in Brazil, merging the modernist vernacular popular in Europe and the United States with the South American country's traditional techniques and indigenous materials.
Key mid-century influencers on Brazilian furniture design include natives Oscar Niemeyer, Sergio Rodrigues and José Zanine Caldas as well as such European immigrants as Joaquim Tenreiro, Jean Gillon and Jorge Zalszupin. These creators frequently collaborated; for instance, Niemeyer, an internationally acclaimed architect, commissioned many of them to furnish his residential and institutional buildings.
The popularity of Brazilian modern furniture has made household names of these designers and other greats. Their particular brand of modernism is characterized by an émigré point of view (some were Lithuanian, German, Polish, Ukrainian, Portuguese, and Italian), a preference for highly figured indigenous Brazilian woods, a reverence for nature as an inspiration and an atelier or small-production mentality.
Hallmarks of Brazilian mid-century design include smooth, sculptural forms and the use of native woods like rosewood, jacaranda and pequi. The work of designers today exhibits many of the same qualities, though with a marked interest in exploring new materials (witness the Campana Brothers' stuffed-animal chairs) and an emphasis on looking inward rather than to other countries for inspiration.
Find a collection of vintage Brazilian furniture on 1stDibs that includes chairs, sofas, tables and more.
2010s Brazilian Decorative Art
Ceramic
Mid-20th Century Brazilian Decorative Art
Wood, Hardwood
2010s Post-Modern Brazilian Decorative Art
Brass
2010s Brazilian Decorative Art
Ceramic
2010s Post-Modern Brazilian Decorative Art
Nickel
1950s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Decorative Art
Stoneware, Wood
1980s Space Age Vintage Brazilian Decorative Art
Tapestry
Late 20th Century Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Decorative Art
Silk, Glass, Wood
2010s Post-Modern Brazilian Decorative Art
Steel
2010s Modern Brazilian Decorative Art
Quartz, Steel
2010s Modern Brazilian Decorative Art
Bronze
2010s Modern Brazilian Decorative Art
Quartz, Steel
2010s Modern Brazilian Decorative Art
Bronze
2010s Other Brazilian Decorative Art
Ceramic, Glass
1960s Space Age Vintage Brazilian Decorative Art
Tapestry
1980s Vintage Brazilian Decorative Art
Paint, Wood, Paper
2010s Other Brazilian Decorative Art
Glass, Ceramic
2010s Other Brazilian Decorative Art
Ceramic, Glass
2010s Other Brazilian Decorative Art
Ceramic, Glass
2010s International Style Brazilian Decorative Art
Stainless Steel
2010s International Style Brazilian Decorative Art
Stainless Steel
2010s Post-Modern Brazilian Decorative Art
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Decorative Art
Earthenware
21st Century and Contemporary Folk Art Brazilian Decorative Art
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Beaux Arts Brazilian Decorative Art
Ceramic
2010s Organic Modern Brazilian Decorative Art
Ceramic, Stoneware
21st Century and Contemporary Minimalist Brazilian Decorative Art
Stainless Steel
2010s Organic Modern Brazilian Decorative Art
Ceramic, Stoneware, Linen
21st Century and Contemporary Minimalist Brazilian Decorative Art
Stainless Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Minimalist Brazilian Decorative Art
Stainless Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Minimalist Brazilian Decorative Art
Stainless Steel
Mid-19th Century Antique Brazilian Decorative Art
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Minimalist Brazilian Decorative Art
Stainless Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Minimalist Brazilian Decorative Art
Stainless Steel
19th Century Antique Brazilian Decorative Art
Porcelain
2010s Brazilian Decorative Art
Ceramic
2010s Post-Modern Brazilian Decorative Art
Brass
2010s Other Brazilian Decorative Art
Ceramic, Glass
2010s Other Brazilian Decorative Art
Ceramic, Glass
Mid-20th Century Brazilian Decorative Art
Canvas
2010s Brazilian Decorative Art
Hardwood
2010s Rococo Revival Brazilian Decorative Art
Imbuia, Reclaimed Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Brazilian Decorative Art
Copper
1960s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Decorative Art
Jacaranda
19th Century Antique Brazilian Decorative Art
1950s Vintage Brazilian Decorative Art
Acrylic
1950s Vintage Brazilian Decorative Art
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