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Price category: 15,000 - 20,000 usd / eur

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This characteristic “Zeca” armchair was designed by the pioneering Brazilian designer, Jose Zanine Caldas. Made of solid wood, this armchair was named after the childhood nickname of the designer.

Zanine Caldas is often referred to as the “Master of Wood” for the promotion and integration of traditional Brazilian crafts and modernism in a unique way, which is very visible in this lounge chair. Designed in the early 1960s for Móveis Artísticas Z, a factory he founded in São José dos Campos in 1948, the “Zeca” chair brings some of the unmistakable marks of the work of the master of wood.

The beautiful plywood frame (Móveis Artísticas Z specialised in the material) has an organic shape, characterised by the distinctive curve of the armrests that extend into the legs. The sinuous structural curves and apparent screws provide lightness to this piece. The design is complemented by the light upholstery in a premium bouclé fabric.

Condition:

In good vintage condition. The legs and armrests have minor scratches and marks. Item has been re-upholstered in a premium fabric. Each of our items can be re-upholstered by our in-house atelier in a fabric of choice. Please reach out for more information.

Dimensions:

24. 60 in W x 34.25 in D x 31.88 in H; seat height 16.53 in

62.5 cm W x 87 cm D x 81 cm H; seat height 42 cm

Literature:

Movel Moderno Brasileiro by Alberto Vicente and Marcelo Vasconcellos, published by Olhares editores, Sao Paulo 2017.

Aric Chen, Brazil Modern, Monaclli Press, New York city 2016.

Ruy Teixeira e Jayme Vargas, Desenho da Utopia, Olhares, Sao Paulo 2016.

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.