Born into a family of woodworkers in Melo, Portugal, Joaquim Tenreiro is widely regarded as the father of Brazilian modernism, renowned for his melding of modern aesthetics with traditional values and materials. Tenreiro emigrated from his native country to Rio de Janeiro in the late 1920s. There, he first studied art before returning to woodworking when he took a job with the firm of Laubisch Hirth, which specialized in reproduction furniture in gothic and Louis XVI styles.

In the early 1940s, Tenreiro would become one of the first designers in Brazil to adapt and translate European modernist forms and ideas for a regional context. As he himself put it, he hoped to develop Brazilian furniture that would be "formally light...a lightness which has nothing to do with weight itself, but with graciousness, and the functionality of spaces." His early efforts were met with enough success that, in 1943, he established his own firm, Langenbach & Tenreiro Ltda, with manufacturers in both Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo. During this same time, Tenreiro’s furniture was selected by Francisco Inácio Peixoto for a home designed by Oscar Niemeyer and, in time, the architect would become one of Tenreiro’s biggest clients.

“Joaquim Tenreiro was in a league of his own,” according to Zesty Meyers, of New York design gallery R & Company. “He was one of the all-time best at pushing material to its limit.” Tenreiro used hardwoods indigenous to Brazil as well as wicker and cane, developing sculptural and often lightweight pieces that were suited to the region’s lifestyle. In the late 1960s, Tenreiro left furniture-making to devote himself more fully to fine art. His works have been shown in multiple exhibitions and continue to be prized today; his Cadeira de Embalo rocking chair is still in production. As Janelle Zara has written, “With the passage of time, Tenreiro pieces have become increasingly rare as he worked closely with individuals and their families, and, akin to couture garments, his pieces were both handmade and bespoke.”