Mocho stool by Sergio Rodrigues

The Mocho stool is undoubtedly one of Sergio Rodrigues's masterpieces.

Inspired by the traditional cow-milking stools used in Brazil, the three-legged Mocho is a 1954 creation by the acclaimed Sergio Rodrigues. This piece is structured in solid Jacarandá (Brazilian Rosewood) is a piece that could work as a seat and support for objects. It is a low piece on which the user has to crouch to sit, aided by a handle that allows it to be moved anywhere.

Literature

Sergio Rodrigues, Soraia Cals, Icatu, Rio de Janeiro 2000, p. 128

Maria Cecilia Loschiavo dos Santos, Modern Furniture in Brazil, Olhares, Sao Paulo 2015, p. 176 and 180

Aric Chen, Brazil Modern: The rediscovery of twentieth-century Brazilian Furniture. Monacelli Press, Unnited States, 2016, p. 194

Sergio Rodrigues

Sergio Rodrigues (Rio de Janeiro, 1927-2014) was a furniture designer and architect. In search of the Brazilian identity, Rodrigues broke away from design constraints and tried to harmoniously integrate the three areas in which we worked; architecture, design, and drawing. He joined the National School of Architecture of the University of Brazil (FNA) in 1947. In 1949, he worked as an assistant professor for David Xavier de Azambuja. In 1951, David Xavier de Azambuja invited Rodrigues to participate in elaborating the Civic Center of Curitiba. The architects Olavo Redig de Campos (1906-1984) and Flávio Regis do Nascimento also collaborated on the project. It was through these contacts that Rodrigues met Lucio Costa (1902-1998).

Rodrigues graduated with an architecture degree in 1951. He moved to Curitiba, where he founded Móveis Artesanal Paranaense, in partnership with the Hauner brothers. In 1954, the Hauner brothers hired him to lead the interior architecture section of the new company, Forma S.A, in São Paulo. During this tenure, he came into contact with other renowned designers such as Gregori Warchavchik (1896-1972) and Lina Bo Bardi (1914-1992).

Sergio's work came at a time of great change for Brazil. Brazil was investing in federal capital, and the Brazilian people were experiencing a cultural awakening in fine arts, music, and architecture. Sergio sensed that modern Brazilian architecture lacked contemporary furniture. Sergio's creations, intended to make modern, comfortable furniture suited to the Brazilian tropical climate, availing of wood and leather, soon led him to the new capital where his furniture was ordered on a large scale and taken to Brasília.

Along with essential furniture designers in Brazil, such as Joaquim Tenreiro, and Zanine Caldas, Sergio Rodrigues has played a decisive role in the history of Brazilian furniture. He is the author of various works and always developed furniture consistent with the evolution of architecture during his life.