This rare José Zanine Caldas lounge chair is an exceptional example of Brazilian design of the 1950s. The woven leather straps and the organic shape is unmatched.

This large lounge chair is made of plywood and features a distinctive, curved shape. The gracefully curved seat is supported by sculpted legs, which enhances the organic feel and soft lines of the chair. With its great graphic expression, this piece is iconic of the pioneering Brazilian designer. It was created by Mòveis Artisticos Z, the factory Zanine Caldas founded in São José dos Campos in 1948.

Besides the wooden frame, the original leather upholstery is the stand-out element of this chair both in terms of visual and technical terms. Most of Zanine Caldas’s designs - especially the present lounge chair - tap into the modernist aesthetic while bearing exceptionally unique shapes: form and function revisited with a twist.

SOLD

Condition:

In good vintage condition. Wear consistent with age and use.

Dimensions:

24.4 in. W x 58.3 in. D x 36. 2 in. H ; Seat height 13.18 in.

62 cm W x 148 cm D x 92 cm H ; Seat height 33.5 cm

Literature:

Marcello Vasconcellos, Maria Lúcia Braga, Juliana Gagliardi, móvel brasiliero moderno, Rio de Janiero, 2011, p. 138

Variant of this model referenced in Móvel brasileiro moderno, Marcelo Vasconcellos et Maria Lúcia Braga. Rio de Janeiro: FGV/Aeroplano, 2011. p.138

About the designer:

José Zanine Caldas was born in Belmonte, at the southern coast of Bahia, in 1919. Son to a doctor, Zanine was an autodidact who, from a young age, was fascinated with his environment, especially with trees.

While most architects of his generation studied extensively, Zanine developed his own style through doing and making, and at the age of 20 decided to exchange Bahia for Rio de Janeiro. There he opened up a workshop for architectural scale-models and had the chance to work with pioneering modern architects like Lucio Costa and Oscar Niemeyer.

Large scale furniture with modern design and affordable prices. This was the great advantage of the joinery Móveis Artístico Z founded in 1948 by the architect Zanine Caldas, in partnership with Sebastião Pontes and Paulo Mello, was a great success at the time. Headquartered in São José dos Campos (SP), it maintained its production for almost two decades. The form of creation, idealized by Zanine, was opposed to the market of the time, which was either based on the production of handmade furniture, in solid wood, or in pieces produced in series with an unattractive design. Breaking these paradigms, Móveis Artísticas Z revolutionized manufacturing pieces with improved design and great popular appeal.

Inspired by the local craftsmen who carved boats and furniture from fallen trees, Zanine began experimenting with chiselling and carving large, sculptural works, which became the focus of his later career. Zanine became a big advocate for preservation and in the 1980's, he established the Foundation Center for the Development of the Application of Brazilian Woods (DAM), in an effort to educate and attempt to reverse the rampant destruction of Brazilian rainforests.

Up until his death in 2001, Zanine kept his natural visions alive, and would plant a new tree in place of any tree that was taken down for one of his projects. ~H.