The sculptor and painter Pedro Friedeberg worked in a richly detailed, Surrealist and eccentric artistic style that blended influences from neoclassical art, M.C. Escher and native Mesoamerican symbolism. He was best known for his Hand chair — a functional sculpture that is an icon of design-as-art.
Friedeberg was born in Florence to German parents and moved with his mother to Mexico at the outset of World War II. As a university student in Mexico City in the 1950s, he initially studied architecture, but his designs for fantastical buildings ran afoul of his rationalist, Bauhaus-oriented teachers.
By chance, Friedeberg’s drawings came to the attention of Mathias Goeritz, the German-born Dadaist painter and sculptor. He encouraged Friedeberg and made him a protégé. Friedeberg credits his mentor for instilling in him a fanatical attention to detail in his work. Friedeberg produced his first Hand chair in 1961, and has since created numerous iterations. He has also made several variants using other human limbs in different functional forms such as tables and clocks.
While Friedeberg’s sculptures have a gentle character that is sometimes described as spiritual, his paintings and prints are something entirely different. He employs deep perspective to create hypnotic, painstakingly rendered canvases that suggest rooms and cityscapes.
Whatever the medium, Friedeberg’s work is arresting and instantly recognizable. The Hand chair, though familiar, remains a captivating piece — both furniture and artwork — that stands apart in any interior. Examples are often priced between $20,000 and $30,000, depending on formal variations (such as a foot-shaped pedestal), material and condition. Smaller functional items such as tabletop clocks bring about $9,000. His paintings and drawings require space; they are meant to be contemplated. Prices on original examples start at about $30,000; prints generally sell in the region of $900.
As you will see on 1stDibs, the art and design of Pedro Friedeberg is singular and memorable.
Malabaristas Parapsicológicos Giclée Print, Surrealist, Framed, 2010+
By Pedro Friedeberg
Located in Cuauhtemoc, Ciudad de México
Artist and designer Pedro Friedeberg is known for his surrealist paintings, prints, and sculptural furniture. He was the subject of a 2009 retrospective at the Museo del Palacio de B...
Giclée
Malabaristas Parapsicológicos Giclée Print, Surrealist, Framed, 2010+
By Pedro Friedeberg
Located in Cuauhtemoc, Ciudad de México
Artist and designer Pedro Friedeberg is known for his surrealist paintings, prints, and sculptural furniture. He was the subject of a 2009 retrospective at the Museo del Palacio de B...
Giclée
Códice Miguelito I Giclée Print, Surrealist Style, Framed, 2010+
By Pedro Friedeberg
Located in Cuauhtemoc, Ciudad de México
PEDRO FRIEDEBERG, GRAPHIC, SURREALIST WORK, IMPORTANT MEXICAN ART, EXQUISITE FRAME . . . Artist and designer Pedro Friedeberg is known for his surrealist paintings, prints, and sculp...
Giclée
365 Sueñitos Surrealistas Giclée Print, Framed, Surrealist Style, 2010
By Pedro Friedeberg
Located in Cuauhtemoc, Ciudad de México
-Pedro Friedeberg signed print featuring a fantastical surrealistic scene. Includes whimsical figures, optical art elements, and surreal details. framed in a hand-painted black and g...
Giclée
El Siglo de Pericles Giclée Print, Surrealist Style, Framed, 2010+
By Pedro Friedeberg
Located in Cuauhtemoc, Ciudad de México
-Pedro Friedeberg signed print featuring a fantastical architectural scene. Includes whimsical figures, optical art elements, and surreal details. framed in a hand-painted black and ...
Giclée
Ciudad de Medio Millon y 25 Huevos Duros Giclée Print, Surrealist Art
By Pedro Friedeberg
Located in Cuauhtemoc, Ciudad de México
-Pedro Friedeberg signed print featuring a fantastical surrealistic scene. Includes whimsical figures, optical art elements, and surreal details. framed in a hand-painted black and g...
Giclée
Pedro Friedeberg “El Vuelo De Mozart” Silkscreen Art Unframed
By Pedro Friedeberg
Located in Mexico City, CDMX
Pedro Friedeberg original silkscreen "El vuelo de Mozart”. Signed by the artist. Edition of 30. Includes signature Pedro Friedeberg. The price does not include the frame for a cheape...
Cotton
Bernardo Navarro Tomas, ¨Cosmopolitan I¨, 2018, Silkscreen, 25.6x35.2 in
By Bernardo Navarro Tomas
Located in Miami, FL
Bernardo Navarro Tomas (Cuba, 1977) 'Cosmopolitan I', 2018 silkscreen on paper Feltmark 300 g 25.6 x 35.3 in. (65 x 89.5 cm.) Edition of 40 ID: NAA-108 Unframed
Paper, Ink, Etching, Screen
Arquitectura Alfabetizada (custom framed, hand signed serigraph)
By Pedro Friedeberg
Located in Aventura, FL
Serigraph in colors on paper. Hand signed lower front by Pedro Friedberg. Hand numbered 29/42 lower front. Image size: 9.5 x 25.5 inches. Framed as pictured in the signature Frie...
Paper, Screen
The Gift of Flight and Dragonfly
By Chris Keegan
Located in Deddington, GB
Dragonfly by Chris Keegan [2021] limited_edition Screen print Edition number 50 Image size: H:40 cm x W:40 cm Complete Size of Unframed Work: H:40 cm x W:40 cm x D:0.1cm Sold Unframed Please note that insitu images are purely an indication of how a piece may look This handmade screenprint depicts a Dragonfly inset with a set of geometric shapes in Six colours including Metallic Gold ink. The artwork was created using procedurally generated patterns that overlap creating complex layered geometric shapes. The Metallic ink layer gives the print an extra brilliance and shines showing off the multi-layered liquid patterns on the surface. Limited edition of 50. Its 40 x 40 cm. Artwork printed on Southbank smooth 250 gsm. The Gift of Flight [2021] limited_edition Screen print Edition number 45 Image size: H:40 cm x W:40 cm Complete Size of Unframed Work: H:40 cm x W:40 cm x D:0.1cm Sold Unframed Please note that insitu images are purely an indication of how a piece may look This handmade screen print depicts a geometric bird inset with a set of shapes in Seven colours including Metallic Gold ink. The flying Bird artwork...
Screen
Manuel Victorio Spanish Artist 1997 Original Hand Signed silkscreen
Located in Miami, FL
Manuel Victorio (Spain, 1958) 'Jardín azul', 1997 silkscreen on canvas 21.3 x 28.8 in. (54 x 73 cm.) Edition of 75 ID: VIC1221-001-075 Unframed Hand-signed by author
Screen, Paper, Engraving
Air France, Mignonne allons voir la Rose by Roger Bezombes
By Roger Bezombes
Located in New York, NY
This lithographic poster was printed in 1981 at the Atelier Mourlot in Paris. In the early 1970s, Air France commissioned Roger Bezombes to create original artworks capturing the s...
Lithograph
