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Lot Essay
This lot is sold with a certificate of authenticity from Euclides Zanine Caldas Neto.
The decades before and after World War II saw the influx of many European designers to Brazil, including Lina Bo Bardi and Carlo Hauner, whose designs feature in the following section. Their arrival, and the dissemination of prevalent Western styles, created a rich environment which fused a dialogue between international repertoires and local cultural practices and material resources. Brazilian design reached new heights in these years, further fuelled as a new modern architectural language of concrete and glass took flight.
After this hugely creative period the country fell into the creative vacuum of a dictatorship for over 20 years, where freedom of expression was strictly controlled. This led some designers to an increased ecological awareness and the potential uses of salvaged materials and the sustainable use of natural resources, as typified here by the work of José Zanine Caldas. Throughout 20th century Brazilian Design a respect for the material (be it natural, industrial or recycled) can be identified as being central, together with a high degree of innovation in the manner of its application. The lack of a clearly defined design tradition fostered designs which refer to both European and vernacular Brazilian furniture, but that very fusion offers us now a fresh perspective, partly familiar yet also palpably novel, whose appeal is set to grow in the years to come as their importance continues to be increasingly recognised.
The decades before and after World War II saw the influx of many European designers to Brazil, including Lina Bo Bardi and Carlo Hauner, whose designs feature in the following section. Their arrival, and the dissemination of prevalent Western styles, created a rich environment which fused a dialogue between international repertoires and local cultural practices and material resources. Brazilian design reached new heights in these years, further fuelled as a new modern architectural language of concrete and glass took flight.
After this hugely creative period the country fell into the creative vacuum of a dictatorship for over 20 years, where freedom of expression was strictly controlled. This led some designers to an increased ecological awareness and the potential uses of salvaged materials and the sustainable use of natural resources, as typified here by the work of José Zanine Caldas. Throughout 20th century Brazilian Design a respect for the material (be it natural, industrial or recycled) can be identified as being central, together with a high degree of innovation in the manner of its application. The lack of a clearly defined design tradition fostered designs which refer to both European and vernacular Brazilian furniture, but that very fusion offers us now a fresh perspective, partly familiar yet also palpably novel, whose appeal is set to grow in the years to come as their importance continues to be increasingly recognised.