Christie’s Los Angeles gallery has been transformed into an excavation-like installation for "Lightness & Tension," a two-person design exhibition organized by collector and curator Ulysses de Santi. The show pairs the late Joaquim Tenreiro, considered the father of Modern Brazilian furniture, with the debut design collection of contemporary Brazilian artist Lucas Simões, featuring works in concrete and stainless steel alongside Tenreiro's native wood pieces.
The exhibition matters because it highlights design as an unusually resilient sector amid a struggling art market, while exploring how a new generation of creators is reinterpreting Brazil's modernist design legacy. By juxtaposing Tenreiro's airy, restrained forms with Simões's material rupture and architectural tension, the show offers a fresh perspective on the evolution of Brazilian design and its continued relevance.