For over a decade, the Latin American Aart department has steadily been acquiring top examples of design from the region. In anticipation of the David Geffen Galleries opening next year, we are excited to share two recent acquisitions as a preview of more to come!
This tea cart is one of the most iconic designs by Warsaw-born, São Paulo–based designer and architect Jorge Zalszupin (1922–2020) and exemplifies his signature use of bent, molded woods. The tea cart is one of the earliest products Zalszupin created for L’Atelier, the firm he founded to address what he saw as the lack of suitable furniture for the new modernist homes being erected in Brazil. Tea carts were a staple in Brazilian households at the time, but Zalszupin added a fresh, sculptural approach. The oversized wheels take inspiration from the Polish baby strollers of his youth, while the light iron frame and curved jacaranda-laminate wood add a distinctly modern flair.
The removable top doubles as a serving tray for ease and adaptability. In Zalszupin’s original design for the cart, the top tray (made of either pine or oak) had carved organic forms, and was costly to produce. He adapted his design into a more commercialized version, with the top tray made of laminated jacaranda (same as the bottom one) and simplified rectangular forms. The sides of the bottom shelf, evocative of the folded shapes of origami or paper airplanes, demonstrate Zalszupin’s ongoing investigations of the newest technologies to modulate wood.
São Paulo−born designer Ricardo Fasanello (1930–1993) first ventured into the world of design with the dream of creating race cars. After relocating to Rio de Janeiro, he shifted his focus to furniture production. The Esfera (Sphere) lounge armchair, originally created in 1968, is one of Fasanello’s most famous designs. He employed his signature tortoiseshell fiberglass to fashion a half-sphere that holds suede cushions. This futuristic design reimagines the silhouette of the chair, reflecting Fasanello’s lifelong fascination with speed and aerodynamics. His use of fiberglass and polyester resin—materials frequently associated with industrial design—represented a significant innovation for modern furniture in Brazil at the time.
LACMA’s chair swivels on a stainless-steel base, which Fasanello used only in his earliest versions of the Esfera. In later iterations, which remain in production to this day, he replaced the metal base with fiberglass to make the chair lighter.
Fasanello’s monogram (RF) on the back of the chair introduces a very intimate touch. According to his daughter Andrea Tarnowski Fasanello, he inlaid the monogram using metal sheets he saved from cigarette packaging. He continued this personalized practice until the late 1980s, when he switched to actual metal. This Esfera is one of two sold to Brazilian Ambassador Italo Mastrogiovanni in 1974. The pair of chairs traveled the world to the ambassador’s postings in Geneva, Porto, and Abidjan, showcasing Brazilian design on an international scale before returning to São Paulo
We are thrilled to have these two important examples of Brazilian design join LACMA’s collection, and can’t wait to share them with you when the David Geffen Galleries open in 2026!