As a part of the Design sale of 15 July 2020 in Brussels, PIASA auction house presents a magnificent selection of furniture designed by interior architects Martin Eisler (1913 - 1977) and Carlo Hauner (1927 -1996).
Martin Eisler was born in Vienna in 1913. His father, Max Eisler, is an eminent art historian who participated in the foundation of the Austrian Werkbund movement. Martin Eisler studied design at the Vienna School of Applied Arts and trained with the famous architects Oskar Strnad and Clemens Holzmeister. Of Jewish origin, Martin Eisler was forced to emigrate after the annexation of Austria by the Nazis in 1938.
He then settled in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and exhibited his first creations. At the same time, Eisler worked as an architect, scenographer and interior designer. At the beginning of the 1950s, his various activities brought him to Sao Paulo, where he met Carlo Hauner. The two men began a lasting and fruitful collaboration.
Carlo Hauner was born in 1927 in Brescia, Italy. After studying art and design in Milan, he moved to Brazil, acquired the Bo Bardi factory and founded his furniture company, which he named Moveis Artesanal. His work focuses on custom-made pieces that stand out for their minimalism and modernity, such as the painted metal and textile armchair (lot 154).
Carlo Hauner (1927-1997)
Armchair, 1954
Painted metal and fabric, Forma Edition
Estimation : 3500 / 4500 €
Together, Eisler and Hauner founded the famous Brazilian house Forma and offer their creations which are the fruits of their association. The pieces the duo designs are characterized by their organic, elegant and sophisticated forms. The material of choice of the two interior designers is exotic wood, which they embellish with varnishing and lacquering techniques. But Eisler and Hauner are also particularly fond of working with metal at a time when industrial design is booming.
Martin Eisler (1913-1977) & Carlo Hauner (1927-1997)
Paire de fauteuils et ottomans "Costela"
Bois d’imbuia, métal laqué et textile, 1950
Estimation : 12 000 / 18 000 euros
The pair of "Costela" armchairs, estimated at between 12,000 and 18,000 euros, is the most emblematic piece of the collaboration between Eisler and Hauner. The armchairs and the Ottomans that complement them were made of imbuia wood, lacquered metal and textiles. The Costela model won the prestigious Compasso d'Oro award in Milan for its sensual and elegant aesthetics.
Martin Eisler (1913-1977)
Série de six chaises
Bois de peroba, cannage et textile, 1960
Estimation : 15 000 / 20 000 euros
At the end of the 1950s, Carlo Hauner left Brazil and returned to Italy to devote himself to painting. Martin Eisler, for his part, continued his South American adventure with success. He continues to develop his design activity as functional furniture becomes fashionable and Brazilian architecture gains its letters of nobility. The series of six chairs in peroba wood and textile created by Eisler is estimated at between 15,000 and 20,000 euros.
