Humberto (1953) and Fernando (1961) Campana were born in Brotas, a city 250 kilometers from São Paulo, with an economy based on agriculture, being in a region with abundant natural resources. Until they moved to São Paulo to start their university studies, both brothers lived in the family, the father was an agronomist engineer and the mother an elementary school teacher, in a house without a floor and with a large courtyard surrounded by trees from fruit and streams that flowed to the waterfalls in the Brotas region.
Humberto graduated in law, but as soon as he graduated he officially started pursuing what had been his main interest since he was a child: the infinite possibilities of artisan art. In the eighties he opened a small studio of handicraft products.
Graduated in architecture, Fernando was interested in the search for alternative methods in the production of design, becoming passionate about Le Corbusier and the communicative power and linear synthesis of Oscar Niemeyer as well as for the creation of small-scale objects. After graduating, he collaborated in the 17th edition of the Biennale of Art in São Paulo., Until at the end of 1983, Humberto asked him to help him with the delivery of a large order. Since then, they have become among the most celebrated figures in contemporary design.
They are recognized for their contributions to the unconventional reading of new objects together with an effective contribution for a change in daily life. The first Campana exhibition was staged in 1989 at the Nucleon Galery in São Paulo; the iron chairs collection has been called ‘Desconfortáveis’, a rich selection of unique pieces that speak of an artistic aspect, the error and the poetry present in the unease.
From the 90s onwards they brought their eclectic and unique, very recognizable trait around the world, always starting from their roots, the traditions of their country and local crafts. They went to the favelas to discover the seemingly casual techniques of architectural layering and ventured into the Amazon jungle to create objects with kaleidiscopic colors with the most diverse materials: resins, recycled leathers, branches and natural fibers. Among their multiple successes, created by Studio Campana or, in a limited edition, by the Italian Edra, we can mention: the Favela armchair, the Corallo sofa, the Anemome and Sushi armchairs, the Brasilia table …
In 2009, ten years after the exhibition that launched them, the Campana Brothers were chosen by the Vitra Design Museum, in Germany, to celebrate the ten years since its foundation. Humberto and Fernando Campana were awarded the Special Prize at the Museu da Casa Brasileira in 2001, and appointed Designer of the Year by Design Miami in 2008.
