The Brazil Modernist gallery celebrates 100 years of Geraldo de Barros, Brazilian artist, photographer and designer who pushed the limits of artistic creation. As a furniture designer, he has created timeless pieces that reflect the simplicity and functionality of the Concrete aesthetic. His visionary work inspired a new generation of Brazilian designers and continues to influence the design world today. Geraldo de Barros was a Brazilian designer recognized for his innovative and influential work in the Brazilian modernist movement. Born in 1923 in Chavantes, São Paulo, he studied painting and sculpture before turning to design and photography. During the 1940s, de Barros began working for the furniture company Unilabor, where he experimented with abstract and geometric forms in furniture design. He became a leader of the Brazilian modernist movement, which aimed to create innovative and functional designs to meet the needs of the rapidly changing Brazilian society. In 1949 de Barros co-founded Grupo Ruptura, a collective of artists and designers who sought to break with traditional artistic conventions and explore new forms of expression. The group organized several important exhibitions, including the first exhibition of concrete art in Brazil, in 1952. In 1954 de Barros began to focus on photography, another field in which he experimented with abstract and geometric shapes. He created a series of photographs titled "Fotoformas", which were photographic abstractions of geometric shapes and architectural patterns. The "Fotoformas" were exhibited at the São Paulo Biennial in 1957 and were highly praised for their innovation and beauty. During the 1960s and 1970s, de Barros continued to experiment with photography and also worked as a graphic designer. Geraldo de Barros's importance in Brazilian modernist design lies in his ability to integrate the principles of the modernist movement into many different fields, including furniture design, photography, and graphic design. His innovative and functional designs have had a lasting influence on Brazilian design and continue to inspire designers around the world. The tubular sofa Designed in the 1970s, this three-seater sofa in tubular metal and white fabric by Geraldo de Barros is to be placed in the artistic continuity of its creator, who was an important artist (draughtsman, engraver, painter, photographer, graphic artist and designer) and which notably marked the Brazilian Concreteist movement. Indeed, the curved lines of the structure, the parallel pattern formed by the support of the backrest are obviously imagined by the designer in connection with his photographic production seeking geometric shapes, pattern repetitions and black and white work.
