1950s Brazilian Modern Dry Bar in Hardwood by Jose Zanine Caldas

In regards to the author, a self-taught artist, designer, and architect, Jose Zanine Caldas (1919-2001) was born on the southern coast of Bahia in Brazil. At age twenty, he opened an architectural scale model workshop in Rio de Janeiro where he worked with modernist pioneers such as Lucio Costa and Oscar Niemeyer. In 1948, he and two business partners started the company Mo´veis Artisticos Z. Their elegant, simple, and organic shaped pieces in plywood were produced at a price point that made them accessible to the emerging market of collectors, with an eye toward a modern style. In the early 1950s, Zanine left the company and returned to his home state of Bahia. Heavily inspired by the local craftsmen there who carved boats and furniture from felled trees, Zanine began experimenting with chiseling and carving large, sculptural works, which became the focus of his later career. He also set himself apart with his pavilion-type architectural constructions in richly colored hewn logs. Zanine’s work has been exhibited in the Musée des Arts Decoratifs in Paris and throughout his native Brazil.

Size: H33.5, W27.6, D13.8 (in) H85, W70, D35 (cm).