Sergio Roberto Santos Rodrigues (September 22, 1927 – September 1, 2014) was a Brazilian

carioca Carioca ( or ) is a demonym used to refer to anything related to the City of Rio de Janeiro, in Brazil. The original meaning of the term is controversial, maybe from Tupi language "''kari' oka''", meaning "white house" as the whitewashed stone h ...

architect and designer. Along with

Joaquim Tenreiro Joaquim Tenreiro (1906–1992) was among the leading furniture designers and visual artists in mid-20th century Brazil. Tenreiro was born in Melo, Gouveia Municipality, Portugal into a family of woodworkers and carpenters. In the late 1920s, he em ...

and José Zanine Caldas, Rodrigues was the pioneer to transform the Brazilian design in industrial design and make it known worldwide. He began his work in the field of architecture in the project of the civic center along with the also architects David Azambuja, Flávio Régis do Nascimento e

Olavo redig de Campos Olavo Redig de Campos (1906–1984) was a Brazilian architect, important in the 20th century development of the Brazilian style of Modernist architecture. Redig de Campos was born in Rio de Janeiro, however, his father was a diplomat and he spe ...

. Had the peak of his career in the 50s and 60s. Worked with furniture design according with the

modernism Modernism is both a philosophical and arts movement that arose from broad transformations in Western society during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The movement reflected a desire for the creation of new forms of art, philosophy, ...

, bringing the Brazilian identity to his projects, both in the design and traditional materials – leather, wood and rattan – exalting the Brazilian and native culture. “In fact, in this moment he did coexist the Brazilian-Brazil with "

The Girl from Ipanema "Garota de Ipanema" ("The Girl from Ipanema") is a Brazilian bossa nova and jazz song. It was a worldwide hit in the mid-1960s and won a Grammy for Record of the Year in 1965. It was written in 1962, with music by Antônio Carlos Jobim and Po ...

", sang later (1962) by

Tom Jobim Tom or TOM may refer to: * Tom (given name), a diminutive of Thomas or Tomás or an independent Aramaic given name (and a list of people with the name) Characters * Tom Anderson, a character in '' Beavis and Butt-Head'' * Tom Beck, a character ...

and

Vinicius de Moraes Marcus Vinícius da Cruz e Mello Moraes (19 October 1913 – 9 July 1980), better known as Vinícius de Moraes () and nicknamed O Poetinha ("The little poet"), was a Brazilian poet, diplomat, lyricist, essayist, musician, singer, and playwright ...

in the famous "Girl from Ipanema"” (Oscar Niemeyer). Contemporary of

Oscar Niemeyer Oscar Ribeiro de Almeida Niemeyer Soares Filho (15 December 1907 – 5 December 2012), known as Oscar Niemeyer (), was a Brazilian architect considered to be one of the key figures in the development of modern architecture. Niemeyer was ...

and

Lúcio Costa Lúcio Marçal Ferreira Ribeiro Lima Costa (27 February 1902 – 13 June 1998) was a Brazilian architect and urban planner, best known for his plan for Brasília. Career Costa was born in Toulon, France, the son of Brazilian parents. His fath ...

, his furniture was utilized in large scale in the construction of Brazil's capital

Brasília Brasília (; ) is the federal capital of Brazil and seat of government of the Federal District. The city is located at the top of the Brazilian highlands in the country's Central-West region. It was founded by President Juscelino Kubitsche ...

. “In that time (begin of Brasília) we didn't have time to think about designing any furniture. We used the furniture from the market, selecting as the Palace wanted. The main designer to whom we selected was Sergio Rodrigues” (Lúcio Costa). His most famous work in the Sheriff's chair (1957), made in leather and wood, with fit and upholstery innovations that inspired works until today. “The piece of furniture is not just the shape, not just the material which is made but also something inside it. It's the piece's spirit. It's the Brazilian spirit. It's the Brazilian furniture” (Sergio Rodrigues). He died in 2014 at Rio de Janeiro of liver failure.

Exhibitions

2010 - Sergio Rodrigues: Um Designer from the Tropics - Rio de Janeiro, Brazil 2009 - Brazil Influence - Brussels, Belgium 2008 - Brazil Home Design - Buenos Aires, Argentina. 2008 - Biennial Iberoamerican of Design - Madrid, Spain 2008 - Time e Place: Rio de Janeiro 1956/1964 - Modern Musset - Stockholm, Sweden 2005 - Expo in 25th Century - New York 2000 - Launching of the book "Sergio Rodrigues" 1998 - Mostra Internacional do Design - Método e Industrialismo - Cenctro Cultural Banco do Brasil - Rio de Janeiro 1998 - Bienal de Arquitetura 1997 - 40 anos de Mole - Expo at the Rio Design Leblon - Rio de Janeiro. 1993 - Exhibition "Brasille 93" - La Construzione Di Una Identità Culturale Universidade de Brescia- Italia 1991 - Falando de Cadeira - Museu de Arte Moderna - Rio de Janeiro 1987 - Lapiz de Plata award - Buenos Aires 1984 - Cadeira: Evolução e Design - Museu da Casa Brasileira-São Paulo 1984 - Tradição e Ruptura: Desenho Industrial 1982 - O Design no Brasil: História e Realidade- SESC/SP 1982 - Saudades do Brasil: A Era JK - Exposição Itinerante

References

External links

* *https://web.archive.org/web/20090921090924/http://www.sergiorodrigues.com.br/english/index.asp *https://web.archive.org/web/20120425045616/http://www.renome.com.br/en/designers/56-sergio-rodrigues {{DEFAULTSORT:Rodrigues, Sergio 1927 births 2014 deaths Brazilian architects Brazilian furniture designers Architects from Rio de Janeiro (city)