CANOE ARMCHAIR

The Canoa armchair belongs to the series of Protest Furniture — Móveis Denúncia, that José Zanine Caldas developed in the 1970s. A rare piece of Brazilian modernism, it encapsulates the essence of Caldas’s approach. The Protest Furniture series emerged from his collaboration with canoe builders. Caldas encouraged them to redirect their expertise — skills that had lost demand in the era of indus-trialisation — towards furniture making, applying their profound knowledge of woodcraft in a new way. This collaboration brought to the forefront the creativity and singular craftsmanship of each artisan who worked with the material. A visionary project, it was conceived with respect for the local context and a deep understanding of the history of the place.

The Canoa armchair belonged to Benedito Marcelino Batista, a former collaborator of Caldas’s studio who lives in Nova Viçosa.