B. Zins Apartment, Rio de Janeiro, 1956

Casa e Jardim magazine Nº35 May 1957. 

Asymmetrical Desk in caviuna, by Carlo & Ernesto Hauner for Forma, circa 1955. 

This exquisite desk was manufactured in the mid 50s for Mr Bogdan Zins’ apartment in Ipanema, as part of a complet décoration project. The quality of the manufacture is explicit, from the beautiful one-piece caviuna veneer of the top, the wood pattern from front of the piece; the details of assembly and finissions; and the unique, fluid design; all confirm the talents of its creators. Unique piece, and with some history to back it up!

Bogdan Zins was an outstanding pianist, composer, concert pianist, conductor, musician, impresario and lawyer. Jewish, born in Poland in 1921, he was interned in Italy Campagna camp on 1940. Transferred to Ferramonti camp in the following year, he writes to the Ministry of Interior pleading access to a piano: for him, music was a deep part of human nature, not just entertainment but nourishment capable of keeping the sense of the Jewish people alive, even in confinement in the prison camp.

After the war, Zins emigrated to Rio de Janeiro, where he resumed his activity as a musician and came into contact with some of the greatest exponents of the twentieth century musical scene. Zins maintained a close and decades-long correspondence with the pianist Rudolf Serkin and with the conductor Leonard Bernstein.