Sergio Rodrigues Sheriff lounge chair ISA Bergamo Italy 1961

Sergio Rodrigues

Brazil, 1927 – 2014
Architect, designer

Fantastic Sheriff lounge chair designed by Sergio Rodrigues and manufacture by ISA Bergamo in Itay in 1961. This is not a chair you sit in. You don’t sit in a soft armchair, you relax, you dream, and you recharge yourself. It is a lap of solid teak wood, leather strips and leather cushions, which entered the history of Brazilian furniture at the same time, and with the same expressive force, as Bossa Nova. This chair was the answer to the Bauhaus, a four-legged Garrincha. An icon in Brazilian design. The legs of the chair are slightly angled giving an extra lounge feel to it. The leather straps go through the teak frame and are held by wooden buttons. The leather cushions fluidly hang over the arm and backrest. This chair is in very good and original condition with a nice patina to the camel brown leather. A beautiful and complete set with its ottoman. On the structure it is marked with the ISA metal tag which means it is an Italian, under license, made production of this chair by ISA Bergamo.

Sergio Rodrigues Arquiteto Brasil, Icatu / CIP Brasil 2000, page 136-137

Sergio Rodrigues was a Brazilian carioca architect and designer. In 1952 he graduated from the Faculdade Nacional de Arquitetura, and shortly after founded one of the first modern furniture and art stores in Curitiba. In 1955, Rodrigues opened the more established company Oca, which he referred to as ‘a laboratory for Brazilian furniture and handicrafts’ and became one of the most critical components in the evolution of furniture in Brazil. Along with Joaquim Tenreiro and José Zanine Caldas, Rodrigues was the pioneer to transform the Brazilian design in industrial design and make it known worldwide. He began his work in the field of architecture in the project of the civic center along with the also architects David Azambuja, Flávio Régis do Nascimento and Olavo redig de Campos.

Establishing a new paradigm in design, setting himself apart with his very own language, bringing the Brazilian identity to his projects, both in the design and traditional materials – leather, wood and rattan – exalting the Brazilian and native culture. He became notorious for his use of robust woods like jacaranda, peroba and imbuia to create quintessential icons. His iconic Mole armchair was an immediate success, comprised of jacaranda and upholstered cushions supported by leather straps. The piece informed by Rodrigues’ playfulness and wit, readily became associated with a typically relaxed Brazilian attitude and lifestyle.

Rodrigues  had the peak of his career in the 50s and 60s., Amongst his well-known works such as the Sheriff’s chair (1957), the Mole armchair and the Oscar chair, Sergio also contributed to projects like the Brazilian Embassy in Rome, for the UNB (Brasília University) and the Teatro Nacional (National Theater in Brasília). The designer has worked closely with Oscar Niemeyer, as the latter’s interior designer of choice for his buildings in Brasilia.