Jorge Zalszupin
Hailing from Poland, Jorge Zalszupin (1922-) exchanged war-torn Europe for Brazil in 1949. After having studied at Bucharest’s Higher School of Arts, and shortly having lived in Paris, Zalszupin arrived in Rio de Janeiro in early February in 1949, in the midst of the tumultuous Rio Carnival.
Zalszupin brought a wardrobe cabinet with him, which had a double back, filled with smuggled French perfume, hoping it would help him raise some well needed ‘starting’ money. The Brazilians didn't really appreciate the smell, and Zalszupin got stuck with most of the bottles. Hardly speaking the language and without almost a single dime in his pocket, Zalszupin then decided to write to Luciano Korngold, a renowned architect in São Paulo who was also originally from Poland. Luckily for Zalszupin, a couple of weeks later Korngold visited Rio de Janeiro for a conference, and was impressed by his drawings. Korngold hired Zalszupin on the spot. During the following two years Zalszupin didn’t disappoint Korngold’s generous gesture and worked passionately at his company as an assistant.
Filled with ambition, he opened up his own business in 1951, proceeding his work as an architect. Zalszupin also started working in decoration and design in the years that followed, although mostly because of his clients’ wishes. Upon finishing the blueprints of projects, clients often asked Zalszupin to also plan the internal layout of their properties, therefore the architect began to produce furniture in wood and a few upholstered pieces, under the name “L’Atelier”.
The first model Zalszupin designed was the now famous ‘Poltrona Dinamarquesa’ (the Danish chair). The delightful Dinamarquesa took inspiration from Danish furniture making, and had all the signatures that would later characterise Zalszupin’s work; sensual and clear lines with an emphasis on high quality craftsmanship. To this day it is the designer’s own favourite work. Zalszupin designed many more signature pieces during his first year, among them the Poltrona Paulistana. In 1960, he had enough pieces to fill a showroom and opened his first shop in São Paulo.
His architect colleagues didn't want to participate however, because they thought the store would be too expensive. Zalszupin pushed through anyway, and keeping the warnings of his friends in mind, he decided to sublet part of the store to share the high costs. This happened to be a great move because a lot more visitors walked through his shop and had the chance to get to know his designs: L’Atelier became an almost instant success. In the years that followed L’Atelier opened more shops and had different representatives in different places in Brazil and even sublicensed some of Zalszupin’s designs in the USA. His designs ranged from chairs, cabinets and tables to plastic ice buckets and cutlery holders.
Working through the tough years of the military coup, in the early 1980s Zalszupin decided to leave L’Atelier. For a short period, he relocated to Paris, where he mostly focused on painting. Currently, Zalszupin lives a peaceful retired life in São Paulo. He is the last one standing of the great Brazilians. ~H.
Available literature:
Jorge Zalszupin: Design Moderno no Brasil, Maria Cecília Loschiavo dos Santos, Olhares, Brazil, 2014
