Jose' Zanine Caldas Artwork valuations, appraisals and auction estimates

José Zanine Caldas (1919-2001) was a self-taught artist, designer and architect from Belmonte, Brazil. For over 10 years he ran a laboratory specializing in the creation of scale architectural models, developing over 500 models for leading Brazilian architects, including Oscar Niemeyer and Lucio Costa. Read the full biography

José Zanine Caldas (1919-2001) was a self-taught artist, designer and architect from Belmonte, Brazil. For over 10 years he ran a laboratory specializing in the creation of scale architectural models, developing over 500 models for leading Brazilian architects, including Oscar Niemeyer and Lucio Costa. In 1949, Caldas founded Fábrica Moveis Artísticos Z to produce standardized plywood furniture for a wider audience. Tired of the company's capitalistic approach, he decided to put an end to the venture and moved to the coastal suburb of Nova Viçosa. It was here that he began to create furniture that was later called "Móveis Denúncia" - protest furniture. Inspired by both local craftsmanship and the natural resources of the area, Caldas often crafted his large pieces of wood from a single tree trunk, thus demonstrating to future generations the variety and magnificence of the forest. Caldas was a radical creator, whose work always aimed to find essentialist aspects at the root of each project, both in the exploration of the natural environment and in his conceptualization of internal space as a synergy of the senses. His commitment to Brazilian craftsmanship and the use of natural materials formed the basis of the distinctiveness of his work.