Joaquim Tenreiro

Mercado Moderno, São Paulo
Acquired from the above by the present owner, 2017

Alberto Vicente and Marcelo Vasconcellos, eds., Móvel Moderno Brasileiro, Brazilian Modern Design, São Paulo, 2017, n.p. (for the present lot illustrated)

Hailing from Portugal, Joaquim Tenreiro moved to Brazil and quickly became a popular modern furniture designer in the 1940s, helping shape the iconic South American Modernist movement. Working with the natural environment, he used native Brazilian woods and built pieces that not only kept the tropical climate in mind, but also would look light and function well within the space they were placed in. The present table is an exquisite example of Tenreiro’s craftsmanship, as he used the local vinhático wood, a rot-resistant legume native to the South American region, and the material is the aesthetic centerpiece of this work. The strong wooden structure hovers effortlessly in a space, and is a marvelous illustration of how Tenreiro’s work preserved natural elements, while still creating modern forms.