Campana Brothers
The Campana Brothers were among Brazil’s foremost contemporary furniture designers. Inspired by their country’s vernacular culture, Humberto and Fernando Campana (b. 1953; 1961–2022) combined everyday objects in unexpected ways — often waste materials like rope, cardboard, plastic tubing, and aluminum wire — to make their singular chairs, decor, lighting and other items. Their designs have been manufactured by such companies as Alessi, Swarovski and Cappellini. And they received numerous honors, including being named Designer of the Year both at Design Miami in 2008, and by Maison & Objet in Paris in 2012.
Humberto Campana was born in Rio Claro in 1953 and earned a bachelor’s degree in law from the University of São Paulo. Fernando was born in 1961 in Brotas, and graduated from the São Paulo School of Fine Arts with a bachelor’s degree in architecture.
The Campana brothers started working together in 1983, crafting furniture using their signature method of adaptive reuse. Their pieces frequently refer to Brazilian social and cultural traditions and entities. Among these are the country’s favelas, or shantytowns, that have grown up around major cities. An homage to the resourcefulness with which the residents of São Paulo’s favelas make use of the materials at hand, repurposing cast-off objects in ingenious designs and constructions, their Favela armchair is made of cast-off strips of wood (the first one was made from discarded slats from a fruit market), which are glued and nailed together seemingly at random. The end result, however, is a compact, solid and well-proportioned chair.
By 1997, some of the Campanas’ pieces were being produced and sold in Italy, including the Edra Vermelha armchair, constructed of cord handwoven around a steel frame. In 1998, the brothers became the first Brazilian designers to have their work exhibited at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. Today their furniture is included in MoMA’s permanent collection and in those of numerous other major institutions, such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, and the Vitra Design Museum.
On 1stDibs, find a collection of Campana Brothers armchairs, case pieces and other furniture.
| Average Sold Price |
| $3,650 |
| Styles |
| Materials |
| Related Creators |
1990s Italian Mid-Century Modern Campana Brothers
Pine
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Campana Brothers
Stainless Steel
1990s Italian Mid-Century Modern Campana Brothers
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Campana Brothers
Glass
Early 2000s Italian Modern Campana Brothers
Metal
Early 2000s Italian Post-Modern Campana Brothers
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Campana Brothers
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Campana Brothers
Brass
Campana Brothers Sale Prices
| Sold Date | Sold Price | Category | Material | Creation Year | ||||||
|
| $3,650 |
Average sold price of items in the past 12 months |
| $1,800-$5,500 |
| Sold price range of items in the past 12 months |
Creators Similar to Campana Brothers
Campana Brothers furniture for sale on 1stDibs.
- 1stDibs ExpertMay 3, 2024The Campana Brothers are known for being among Brazil's foremost contemporary furniture designers. Inspired by their country's vernacular culture, Humberto and Fernando Campana combine everyday objects — often waste materials like rope, cardboard, plastic tubing and aluminum wire — in unexpected ways to make their singular chairs, decor, lighting and other items. Their designs have been manufactured by such companies as Alessi, Swarovski and Cappellini. They have received numerous honors, including being named Designer of the Year both at Design Miami in 2008 and by Maison&Objet in Paris in 2012. Find a range of Campana Brothers furniture on 1stDibs.