This exquisitely crafted Rosewood Curved Chair With Stick Back, designed by Joaquim Tenreiro (1906-1992), evokes a refined coexistence of traditional values and modern aesthetics. Its delicate shapes present backs of thin sticks and carved, pointed feet – like those of a ballerina – that give the impression that the piece floats in the space.

Tenreiro came to see the often heavy, overstuffed pieces that dominated the market as incompatible with a tropical country like Brazil. So instead, he promoted formally light furniture, as described in his own words: "Lightness, which has nothing to do with the weight per se, but with grace and functionality in space."