Carlo Hauner Brazil, 1927-1997

Carlo Hauner was born in 1927 in Italy in a family of artists and designers. He studied technical and artistic design at the Accademia di Belle Arti di Brera and worked as a designer for the Milan Triennale.

In 1948 Carlo Hauner and his family moved to Brazil as numerous European artists and intellectuals who arrived in Brazil after the Second World War. The Hauners were strongly influenced by the European modernism and rationalism.

In the early ‘50s, Carlo and his brother Ernesto created the company Moveis Artesanal in Sao Paulo, producing made-to-measure pieces commissioned by architects such as Gregori Warchavchik and Lina Bo Bardi. Carlo was the company’s main designer until 1953 when he met Austrian-born architect Martin Eisler with whom he started a fruitful partnership. Together they designed some truly stunning seating pieces.

In 1955 Moveis Artesanal became Forma, a true landmark in Brazilian design. Sergio Rodrigues became was appointed for a time director of interior design of the company. Later, Forma became a large, modern, furniture producer and took the name of Mobilinea. Mobilinea expanded under the direction of Ernesto and Georgia Hauner, offering innovative residential and office furniture products. 

Georgia Hauner worked as an editor and art director for Editora Abril creating the first truly “modern” decoration magazine in Brazil.

At the end of the 1950’s Carlo progressively dissociated himself from the company and moved back to Italy.  

He died in 1997.