In 1983, the two brothers teamed up to develop furniture made by ordinary material, including waste products such as cardboard, rope, fabric and wood scraps, plastic tubes, aluminum wire. The originality of their artistic work caused controversy and brought massive critical attention. By the early 90’s, they had already gained considerable international acclaim, notably in Europe and in the United States. Some of their products also began to be produced and sold in Italy.
The Campana Brothers were first noticed in 1998 by the media, when they became the first Brazilian artists to exhibit their work at The Museum of Modern Art in New York, along with German lighting designer Ingo Maurer. Their breakout design of the Vermelha chair is still their best seller. But besides their best seller each piece of furniture is like a little cabinet of curiosities, as the design-duo assembled disparate elements in a kind of contemporary archaeology.
The Mongolian lamb Anhanguera sofa is part of the Baroque collection from the design duo. The sofa is in a classical style, but up close it’s furry and cozy. The Brazilian Baroque collection was commissioned by Galleria O in Rome as an exercise in reimagining the Roman Baroque period. The sofa can be seen at the gallery Les Arts Decoratifs in Paris until February the 24th.
The Campanas collaborated with artisans in Rome to cast the bronze ornaments that add to the sofa’s lively appearance. “It’s a completely animated sofa, an alligator on top of the spider, the spider on top of a toothbrush,” Fernando Campana said, itemizing a few of the sculptures. “It’s a very deceptive sofa,” he added
The name of the sofa is very special. It’s the road linking Sao Paulo to Brotas, the Brazilian town where the brothers Campana grew up and therefore very valuable for them.