Pedro Friedeberg Miniature Hand, Chair Wood Sculpture
About the Item
- Creator:Pedro Friedeberg (Sculptor)
- Dimensions:Height: 2.56 in (6.5 cm)Width: 2.17 in (5.5 cm)Length: 2.56 in (6.5 cm)
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1970s
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:Mexico City, MX
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU3125329683672
Pedro Friedeberg
The sculptor and painter Pedro Friedeberg works in a richly detailed, Surrealist and eccentric artistic style that blends influences from neoclassical art, M.C. Escher and native Mesoamerican symbolism. He is best known for his Hand chair — a functional sculpture that is an icon of design-as-art.
Friedeberg was born in Florence to German parents and moved with his mother to Mexico at the outset of World War II. As a university student in Mexico City in the 1950s, he initially studied architecture, but his designs for fantastical buildings ran afoul of his rationalist, Bauhaus-oriented teachers.
By chance, Friedeberg’s drawings came to the attention of Mathias Goeritz, the German-born Dadaist painter and sculptor. He encouraged Friedeberg and made him a protégé. Friedeberg credits his mentor for instilling in him a fanatical attention to detail in his work. Friedeberg produced his first Hand chair in 1961, and has since created numerous iterations. He has also made several variants using other human limbs in different functional forms such as tables and clocks.
While Friedeberg’s sculptures have a gentle character that is sometimes described as spiritual, his paintings and prints are something entirely different. He employs deep perspective to create hypnotic, painstakingly rendered canvases that suggest rooms and cityscapes.
Whatever the medium, Friedeberg’s work is arresting and instantly recognizable. The Hand chair, though familiar, remains a captivating piece — both furniture and artwork — that stands apart in any interior. Examples are often priced between $20,000 and $30,000, depending on formal variations (such as a foot-shaped pedestal), material and condition. Smaller functional items such as tabletop clocks bring about $9,000. His paintings and drawings require space; they are meant to be contemplated. Prices on original examples start at about $30,000; prints generally sell in the region of $900.
As you will see on 1stDibs, the art and design of Pedro Friedeberg is singular and memorable.
You May Also Like
Late 20th Century Mexican Abstract Sculptures
Wood
Vintage 1970s Mexican Abstract Sculptures
Wood
Vintage 1960s Mexican Mid-Century Modern Figurative Sculptures
Wood
Vintage 1950s French Folk Art Slipper Chairs
Wood
Vintage 1970s Mexican Abstract Sculptures
Wood
Vintage 1970s Mexican Abstract Sculptures
Wood
Vintage 1960s Mexican Mid-Century Modern Abstract Sculptures
Wood
Vintage 1970s Mexican Table Clocks and Desk Clocks
Wood
Mid-20th Century Mexican Mid-Century Modern Mantel Clocks
Enamel, Silver
Vintage 1970s Mexican Mid-Century Modern Abstract Sculptures
Walnut, Giltwood
More From This Seller
View AllVintage 1970s Mexican Mid-Century Modern Figurative Sculptures
Gold Leaf
2010s Mexican Mid-Century Modern Animal Sculptures
Bronze
2010s Mexican Mid-Century Modern Animal Sculptures
Bronze
2010s Mexican Post-Modern Animal Sculptures
Bronze
2010s Mexican Post-Modern Figurative Sculptures
Resin
Vintage 1970s Mexican Mid-Century Modern Chairs
Wood
