Forma: Brazil Furniture designs by Carlo Hauner and Martin Eisler

13 September - 22 October

64 White Street

R & Company announces their first exhibition of historical Brazilian furniture by design company Forma opening on September 13. Displayed on the upper level gallery at 64 White Street, Forma: Brazil Furniture designs by Carlo Hauner and Martin Eisler opens at a pivotal moment when Brazilian modern design has gained a renewed interest and begun to infiltrate the global art and design market. On view is a curated presentation of coveted iconic designs produced by Forma in the 1950s and 1960s that the gallery has been collecting and championing for nearly two decades.

Carlo Hauner and Martin Eisler were the leading designers for Forma. The international company epitomized the innovation of the Brazilian modern design industry. Working out of São Paulo when the city was rapidly growing and at the peak of industrialization provided Eisler and Hauner with the opportunity to produce custom furniture. They both shared an appreciation for elevated design and their intention with Forma was to bring style into the Brazilian household. Their designs for Forma embodied the elegance of unique works coming out of the traditional ateliers of Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo in the mid 20th century but unlike their contemporaries, Eisler and Hauner customized production. They created highly crafted modern furniture, using rich local materials such as hardwood, leather, and iron resulting in polished and diverse pieces that were accessible to a larger audience.

Both Eisler and Hauner are remembered as innovators that developed the industrialization of the design world in Brazil. Now internationally recognized as one of the leading Brazilian design companies, Forma is featured in the internationally acclaimed publication Brazil Modern: The Rediscovery of Twentieth-Century Brazilian Furniture published by the R & Company and Monacelli Press in 2016. R & Company principal, Zesty Meyers states, “You can feel the influence that Forma has on the design world today. Forma created angular, futuristic forms that at the time were modern for the new home in Brazil but are now considered iconic. Eisler and Hauner’s vision was both fresh and timeless and although their designs are from the past, they don’t feel outdated. They always had the future in mind.”

R & Company has been a pioneer of Brazilian modern design and through research, collecting, and presentation, the gallery has contributed to creating the increasing global success and interest in this movement. The Forma exhibition is designed to replicate a living environment with an immersive presentation of seating, tables and beds. On view are some of Forma’s most important designs including two sleek lounge chairs with asymmetrical seats and iron frames. Both pieces, designed in the 1950s by Martin Eisler, were inspired by the advanced technology of the automotive industry and the round shapes of their seats were directly meant to replicate the form of a car bumper. Also on view is a series of their classic “Rib Chairs”, a set of curved lounge chairs made in rosewood and designed in 1955. Although the pieces were custom produced, each of their works possesses exceptional form, craftsmanship and material. Seen together in the exhibition, Forma’s designs showcase the immensely creative energy in Brazil’s design scene in the second half of the 20th century.  

Forma opens September 13 at 64 White Street and runs concurrently with Rogan Gregory’s solo exhibition Known Unknown and Renate Müller’s solo exhibition Fun and Fantasy.