PARIS.- In 1959, Charlotte Perriand, in collaboration with Le Corbusier and Lucio Costa, did the layout of “ La Maison du Brésil ” in the “ Cité Internationale de Paris. ”

In 1962, her husband Jacques Martin was appointed director of Air France for the Latin America region, so until 1969 he made frequent trips to Brazil.

Thanks to Lucio Costa, she meets architects Oscar Niemeyer and Roberto Burle Max, who introduced her to the Tropicalism movement.

It is a global cultural movement that takes the opposite of the West, mixing different disciplines such as music or furniture. He emerged in Brazil in 1967, during the period of military dictatorship (1964-1985), and aspired to revolutionize his time. It is for its actors to meet both unique climatic requirements, while using local materials, and adopting the typical forms of these countries of South America.

Very inspired, Charlotte Perriand created furniture for her apartment and for some projects on the spot, taking the lines of her European furniture, but having them made in local woods (such as jacaranda, or Rio rosewood) with braiding of rushes or caning.

OSCAR NIEMEYER
Oscar Niemeyer is one of the most famous Brazilian architects.

His early career took place in Brazil, he participated in particular in 1936, with Lucio Costa and Le Corbusier to design new headquarters for the Ministry of Education and Health in Rio de Janeiro.

In the early 1940s, an exhibition on Brazilian architecture at the MoMA placed him on the front of the art scene of the time.

Finally, in 1960, he participated in the creation of the new administrative capital of Brazil «Brasilia», which still asserts its notoriety.

JOSE ZANINE CALDAS
Very versatile Brazilian architect.

At the same time builder but also sculptor and designer of furniture.

Like Charlotte Perriand, he sometimes focuses on the social vision of furniture and places wood at the heart of his thinking. Zanine Caldas is indeed fascinated by the process of using recovery and protection of woods in all their forms; he is fighting for a fair rationalization of the use of wood, as well as a better management of it in Brazil.