Lina Bo Bardi Giancarlo Palanti Studio d’Arte Palma 1948–1951Presented by Nilufar Gallery

Focusing on the work realized at the Estúdio de Arte e Arquitetura Palma, Nilufar Gallery presents the largest collection of Lina Bo Bardi’s furniture ever brought together. Many of the pieces displayed are rare objects originating in Brazil. The unique combination of the iconic and the everyday in her furniture is a powerful expression of the designer’s all- encompassing philosophy of design.

As an architect, designer, scenographer, editor, writer, and illustrator, Bo Bardi was a woman of almost unlimited talent whose design vision was generous and uncompromising across a variety of disciplines. Studying architecture in Italy during World War II, Bo Bardi joined the resistance, an experience that profoundly shaped her understanding of architecture as a political and social endeavor. Later on, in Brazil, this sensibility matured and became the inspiration for sharp texts, open environments, and extraordinary buildings.

Integrating architecture with furniture design, interiors, and often curating the programming of her public buildings, Bo Bardi created a bond between people and the spaces they inhabit. She pursued this ambition by mastering craft and fabrication processes in order to highlight the natural and local qualities of the materials and cultures around her.

Collaborations with people from diverse fields were crucial to construct an extensive and shared body of knowledge. This is the case of Italian architect Giancarlo Palanti, with whom she founded the Estúdio de Arte e Arquitetura Palma, which designed and produced several furniture pieces.