Sergio Rodrigues "Mucki" Bench for OCA, Brazil, 1958, Attributed

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Sergio Rodrigues "Mucki" bench for OCA, wood, Brazil, 1958, attributed.

This wood bench from Brazil is attributed to Sergio Rodrigues and belongs to the “Mucki” model he designed for OCA in 1958. Its top is formed by narrow slats resting on two side rails that taper toward the ends, so the profile thins as it leaves the supports and the slatted surface extends past the legs at both sides. Each slat is held by a turned wooden peg, set in two lines along the length of the bench, and these pegs are the only ornament. The gaps between the slats keep the top light, and the grain changes from one slat to the next under a consistent patina. Rodrigues founded OCA in Rio de Janeiro in 1955 and built its production around solid wood and visible joinery, giving Brazilian modernism a furniture language of its own. The bench belongs to that vocabulary, with a low horizontal line, square-section legs and a construction that is easy to follow by eye. Its proportions suit an entrance or the foot of a bed, and it works just as well as a low table in a living room.