Exhibition Description

 

Fernando and Humberto Campana
/Recent Works
April 26 – May 31, 2014

View works in this exhibit

The Campana Brothers, Fernando (b. 1961) and Humberto (b. 1953) were raised in Brotas, a lush, idyllic, small town, and São Paulo, Brazil’s largest metropolis. Together, in 1983, they founded the Estudio Campana.

n 1998, “Project 66” was their first international show with Ingo Maurer, curated by Paola Antonelli of New York MoMa. Also in 1998, they established their first design partnership with Edra in Italy. Each year, the brothers launch new products and concepts in collaboration with international brands such as Alessi, Artecnica, Bernardaud, Baccarat, Corsi Design, Consentino, Edra, Nodus, Magis, Moleskine, Skitch, Plus Design, Venini, and Trousseau, among others.

In 2002, the Estudio Campana started crafting its own line of limited editions and unique pieces handmade at the studio in São Paulo, often crafted in partnership with artisan communities and NGOs. These special editions are represented by international galleries including Friedman Benda in New York, Galleria O in Rome, Carpenters Workshop Gallery in London and Paris, and Firma Casa in São Paulo.

After becoming famous for its furniture design and the creation of intriguing objects such as the Vermelha and Favela chairs, Estudio Campana has grown to include Interior Design, Architecture, Landscaping, Scenography, Fashion, Artistic Partnerships and more. The Campanas work incorporates the idea of transformation, reinvention and the integration of craftsmanship in mass production. Giving preciousness to common materials carries not only the creativity in their design but also their very Brazilian characteristics – the colors, the mixtures, the creative chaos, the triumph of simple solutions.

Campana pieces are included in various permanent collections including the MoMa in New York, the Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris, the Vitra Design Museum in Weil am Rhein, the Museum of Modern Art in São Paulo, and also the Musée Les Arts Décoratifs in Paris. The brothers were honored with the Designer of the Year award in 2008 by Design Miami and the Designers of the Year Maison & Objet award in 2012. That same year they were selected for the Comité Colbert Prize in Paris, honored at Beijing Design Week, received the Order of Cultural Merit in Brasilia and were awarded the Order of Arts and Letters by the Minister of Culture in France.

Fernando and Humberto Campana / Recent Works is the first exhibit of Campana Brothers works in Detroit, and was possible through a collaboration between Friedman Benda in New York, and Re:View Contemporary Gallery in Detroit.