As part of the sale "Design with a focus on Alvar Aalto", PIASA auction house is offering for sale on Thursday, May 28th, 2020 seven pieces made by the polish designer Jorge Zalszupin.
To escape the catastrophe in which the country in which he was born sank, Jorge Zalszupin fled Poland and went to Romania. There he will obtain his degree in architecture at the end of the war. After a short stay in France, he left Europe and set sail for Rio de Janeiro in 1949.
After a difficult start, Jorge Zalszupin found a job in Luciano Korngold's studio in São Paulo where he worked as an assistant architect. Two years later, in 1951, he opened his own practice. Like most of the architects of his time, most of whom were European refugees, he not only worked on plans for many private houses, but also designed interior decorations and furniture.
The first pieces he designs are presented in a small workshop before being exhibited in a showroom in the heart of Sao Paulo. For several years, the designer will have the opportunity to work closely with the architect Oscar Niemeyer. He will be the author of numerous pieces for his projects in Brasilia, the brand new capital, a world showcase of national modernity.
Jorge Zalszupin (born 1922)
Banco Onda
Wood, wood veneer, fabric and metal
Moveis edition
Creation date: circa 1960
Estimation : 20000 / 30000 euros
From the mid-1960s, his furniture was sold under license in the United States and Europe. The Banco Onda, a bench with a magazine rack made of wood, wood veneer, textile and metal elements, dates from this period. With its resolutely sensual shapes, this piece, estimated at between 20,000 and 30,000 euros, is a masterful example of the designer's work, combining classic details and functional elegance.
ƒ Jorge Zalszupin (born 1932)
Mesa Pétala
Coffee table
Veneer
L’Atelier Edition
Creation date: 1959-1965
Estimation : 12000 / 18000 euros
Characterized by the geometry of its solids and voids, the Mesa Pétala coffee table exploits the very expressive chromaticism of dark wood. Designed between 1959 and 1965, it is offered for sale with an estimate from 12,000 to 18,000 euros.
Jorge Zalszupin (born 1922)
Paulistana
Armchair and footrest
Veneer, chromed metal and leather
Moveis edition
Creation date: 1959-1965
Estimation : 10000 / 15000 euros
Another example of the intimate relationship that textiles can have with wooden elements that seem to follow their shape is the Paulistana armchair, published by the Moveis workshop. Its low estimate is established at 10,000 euros.
At the beginning of the 1980s, in a troubled Brazilian political context, Jorge Zalszupin returned to France and settled in Paris, where he began to paint. Still alive, he is one of the last icons of Brazilian modernity.
