These showed up in my local paper today. Architect Niemeyer has consigned several of his designs to R 20th Century Gallery -- a former glass-blowing collective in New York -- for production.
Gallery owner Zesty Meyers says he and his scouts have found fewer than a dozen of Niemeyer's pieces in antique shops in Rio. Now the architect has permitted several of his pieces to be reproduced.
The architect's contemporaries, Sergio Bernades, Sergio Rodrigues, Lucio Costa, Joaquim Tenreiro and Lina Bo Bardi are mentioned as having been hidden from international recognition by the effects of the military dictatorship, finally ended in 1984, which forced Niemeyer and others to live in exile for decades. Famed Brazilian landscape architect Roberto Burle-Marx, and architects Isay Weinfeld, Marcio Kogan and Paulo Mendes da Richa (2006 Pritzker Prize winner) are also mentioned.
Perhaps Gustavo can tell us more. . .?
As
a coffee table I can see it (though the form makes me nervous -- it looks like it wants to descend when you put weight on it). As a dining table, doesn't it appear that you would be stepping on the base while seated ?
I too need to see more of the chaise longue. But it has promise. A rocking chaise is rather rare, no ?
The chair I don't get at all. . .
.
perhaps a 3 or 4 petal base? I like the table too but veneer on a sharp edge has allways made me nervous, even though everyone does it.
As a total aside I love my router table! Have finally gotten around to improving it and I'm so happy, it all works like a charm! Though I suspect the neighbours aren't so impressed.
Nice,
I saw the Lounge chair a long time ago, I,d say it,s very brasilian, shape and proportions. And the two parts (horizontal and vertical were more separate between them).But it was YELLOW. It seems that black leather and wood, fits better with amrican mid-century vintage?. But Brazilians are extremely colorful. (Brasilians are Samba and Carnaval: full color, Argentines are tango: black n white).
I like the coffee table because ,,it looks like it wants to descend when you put weight on it,,, and this rare disproportions. And the first one? no no no.
I found the article.
I,m writing a bit, but you know I,m sloooow on it.
One see things different from a different angle, different perspective?
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/02/09/HOSSUR1A6.DTL
The table makes me think "**i...
The table makes me think "**it" too, as in oh, **it, what was he thinking? On the bright side, if it is an inch or so too tall initially, just wait a year. And if it happens to break under the weight of Thanksgiving, the base would make for a couple nice sleds.
There are several photos of the lounge/similar lounges at the Architonic site.
The chair is also shown there, along with a very similar if not identical design using steel rather than laminated wood. The site states that the chairs were designed for/used at the Communist Party headquarters in Paris, and also in Montreal.
Maybe I'm not seeing something, but all of the furniture designs here seem, at least in look, to verge on the unstable.
The architecture, on the whole, is remarkable, and the spirit of the architect even moreso. Has anybody at Design Addict been to the Niteroi Art Museum? Seeing it in photos, I always think that it's a place I would love to visit and experience firsthand, assuming it even exists.
Perspectives
Every new day, new directions thinking comes to mind...
Perspective is the key word?...
ONE) A perspective (from here).
If I have to tell you much about Brazilian mid-century vintage furniture, Sorry, but I will disappoint you, I have not much more to tell you.
There is one thing that I found really-very different, that wanted to comment it before, and this is provably the best moment, is:
One of the huge differences that I saw, between ,,,here,,, and ,,,there,,, is the fascination with mid-century/vintage furniture, the prices, and the Is it reeeal? (because if mine it,s real, that menas that your,s is unreal?) That you have there.
When I visited this forum for the first time 5 years ago, I didn?t understand that idea, and to me, although I,m also fascinated whit some great stuff, it,s hard to me to share those feelings, even today.
Here, Nobody, design related, designers, design aficionados, design schools, I said nobody, have at all this idea on mind, it,s from another planet.
Why? Well, I,ll risk some conclusions, Maybe...
1) Well, first and above all, there are no originals.
Why?, well, long story, and have to think it well, but foremost, industries and designers, most of the times 'Fail to be happy marriages'.
2) Are absurdly expensive. (and I mean let's say 2008 Vitra's originals, not to talk vintage)
3) Other needs and other reality.
4) We are living other reality/thing. Well, now you have to do the effort to imagine, to understand 'this' reality.
This is THE moment of the new design. (and, at least in Argentina) in this moment is emerging an authentic local design, that ,,condensing,, many local ,requirements. Very strong, after devaluation.
And this may make a bit of shadow over the past.
VINTAGE NOW
1) There is but a shy one trend.
2) A smiley little story related: A friend, from a film producer studio said: those Europeans, are fascinated with vintage, when we live in a vintage reality every day!! : - )
3) There is a small vintage signature market (originals)...., and this small findings could be cheap, but I repeat it,s not the main route. Too little stuff and too big effort.
cont.
TWO)Perspective 2
(from there seen from here)
Thanks SDR.
I enjoyed a lot the article.
It,s true most of what Sardar said. And It,s interesting how it focus things from here with your own perspective / interests.
About the article, (with the background of pesrp. 1):
"My clients are resisting any recognizable modern classics in their homes,"
(Good to hear that there are people a bit bore of Barcelona chairs!)
About:
,,, Galleries espousing Brazilian design even produce prototypes and manufacture designs that never made it out of sketchbooks during the stultifying postwar decades when Niemeyer,,,
Yes, lots of designs are in sketchbooks,
,,,,In the past couple of years, though, R 20th Century has been able to find fewer than a dozen original Niemeyer pieces.,,,,
There are not many pieces of each single design. More than industrialized chairs, they must be something like: ,serial prototypes,,
Not agree:
,,,,At the time, two-thirds of Brazilians were trying to survive on $2 a day. No one was thinking of Brazilian design," said Zesty Meyers of R 20th Century,,,,,,,
Not agree
,,,,,It did not get homogenized, and, because during two decades of dictatorship little was exported from Brazil, it remained obscure.,,,,, There was nothing exported from Brazil, not because dictatorship. Because industry didn,t produce them. (Industry looked in other direction), That,s what Campana Brçothers says happens even today, and the same here.
THREE)3 rd direction
(maybe crossing 1 with 2)
On the other hand, the article says.
"We wanted the things that were forgotten or had never been found."
And then I said, Eureka
It,s absolutely true that, incredible and fascinating that there are 'somewhere' great pieces
un-discover. Are there forgotten to be fund...
Two little examples:
One) The architect Salamone, with a fascinating work, ,,,founded,,, just 10 years ago, (I,ll try to show something later)
If we coudn,t saw 25 buildings city halls, and cementeries and towers, can be perfectly hidden some piece of furniture.
Two) Think that Tomas Maldonado (director of Ulm school), had his first exhibition here, this year...and almost unknown.
So, Yes, without any doubts, there are some great stuff, waiting to be founded...
Ps: Oh, God, life it,s too short to drive so many routes!
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