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At MAZE Art Gstaad, José Zanine Caldas’s Radical Vision of Furniture Reappears

At MAZE Art Gstaad, José Zanine Caldas’s Radical Vision of Furniture Reappears February 3, 2026Art Events, GstaadOff

François Laffanour Presents a Rare José Zanine Caldas Masterpiece at MAZE Art Gstaad

For his second participation in MAZE Art Gstaad, François Laffanour returns with a presentation that privileges depth over spectacle. At its center stands an exceptional and previously unseen work by José Zanine Caldas, a seminal figure of 20th-century design whose radical relationship to material continues to resonate with remarkable clarity today.

The piece – a monumental dining table from 1978 – will be revealed to the public for the very first time. Long held in a private residence in Ibirapuã, Brazil, it represents a rare and decisive moment within Caldas’s oeuvre, combining his iconic mastery of solid wood with an almost unheard-of use of ceramic tiles. This unexpected dialogue between materials lends the work a singular formal tension, positioning it well beyond conventional classifications of furniture or sculpture.

A Radical Relationship to Material

Crafted entirely from solid Sucupira wood, the rectangular table rests on two massive bases, its imposing proportions softened by the tactility of hand-worked surfaces. Caldas, who famously rejected industrial processes, conceived furniture as an extension of the natural world – shaped by hand, guided by instinct, and grounded in an almost primal connection to material.

Every stage of the table’s making reflects this philosophy. The wood was sawn by hand, sculpted with traditional tools, and finished through sanding and waxing rather than mechanical polish. The result is a surface that retains visible traces of labor – subtle irregularities that affirm the human gesture behind the object. The density and depth of the Sucupira are fully revealed, while the waxed finish amplifies the dialogue between weight, scale, and touch.

Ceramic as Exception

What sets this piece apart within Caldas’s production is the tabletop, adorned with ceramic tiles – a feature rarely documented in his work. Their integration introduces a delicate counterpoint to the table’s sculptural mass, creating a quiet but deliberate tension between structure and ornament. Neither decorative nor functional alone, the ceramic surface becomes an integral part of the table’s architectural logic.

In this convergence of materials, Caldas’s vision appears at its most refined: furniture as inhabitable sculpture, where function exists not in opposition to form, but in seamless continuity with it. This dining table stands today as a seminal work, anchoring José Zanine Caldas firmly within a broader, more discerning understanding of 20th-century design – one that transcends geographic and stylistic boundaries.

A Curatorial Manifesto

Alongside this rare presentation, Laffanour | Galerie Downtown will unveil a rigorously curated selection of furniture, architecture, and objects from the mid-20th century. Conceived as a manifesto, the ensemble places particular emphasis on the 1950s – a pivotal decade when design asserted itself as structure, function, and language.

Works by Charlotte Perriand, Pierre Jeanneret, and Jean Prouvé articulate this moment with clarity and authority. From Perriand’s Straw Armchair and Les Arcs bench to Jeanneret’s High Court armchairs and Prouvé’s Cameroun sunshade panel, each piece speaks to a design ethos rooted in honesty of construction and social purpose.

Enduring Relevance

At MAZE Art Gstaad, Laffanour | Galerie Downtown Paris reaffirms its long-standing commitment to the preservation, contextualization, and transmission of modern design heritage. Yet this presentation is not driven by nostalgia. Instead, it underscores the enduring relevance of these works – their ability to speak to contemporary concerns around materiality, sustainability, and the meaning of craft in an increasingly dematerialized world.

In placing José Zanine Caldas at the heart of this narrative, François Laffanour invites a renewed reading of 20th-century design: one that is global, tactile, and profoundly human.

Tags: 20th century design, art and design fair, Art Magazine, Brazilian design, collectible design, contemporary relevance, design as art, design heritage, François Laffanour, functional sculpture, Galerie Downtown, handcrafted design, iconic designers, José Zanine Caldas, MAZE Art Gstaad, mid-century design, modernist furniture, radical design, rare design pieces, sculptural furniture, solid wood furniture, What We Adore Magazine