Ricardo Fasanello was born in São Paulo, in 1930. He began demonstrating his talent at a young age, designing and building a sailboat at the age of 14, and by 18, he was building lofts of his design. Young beau, chasing excitement and speed, he almost lost his life after violently crashing his Porsche Spyder 550 on his way from São Paulo to Rio de Janeiro. After meeting his soon to be wife Countess Olivia Tarnowska, Ricardo slowed down and moved to a bohemian neighborhood in Rio. There he spent his days between exotic pets and his life passion, building race cars.

Functionality and the use of artisanal tools in the execution of an industrial design are the hallmarks of Fasanello’s furniture. His work blends unmistakable Brazilian aesthetics with cool sophistication.

The truly creative work turned out by the Atelier reflects solutions that arise during the production of a piece. The artist shows unparalleled skill in harmonizing contrasts while drawing on his technical knowledge of materials in order to extract the best results from them.

His spiral mind conceived round shapes armchairs swiveling to induce the art of conversation. At a time when modern design tends to become quickly obsolete, Ricardo Fasanello remains consistent and present to resist the passage of time.

1. Where were you born and where are you from ?

Our father was born in São Paulo in 1930, from an Italian father and a Spanish Basque Mother. 

2. What is your first memory connected to the art world ?

He dropped school at the age of 10, but despite it, he learned 5 languages and read all the books he was able to get hold of. He knew everything that had to be known about cars and designed them since his 15 years old. He designed houses at the age of 16.

3. Have you always worked in the art/design field, and what led you to the design creation ?

Our father had always designed everything he needed. He was the son of a very wealthy immigrant and used to manufacture race cars that he designed for fun. He raced cars, played Polo, and enjoyed the nightlife in Rio de Janeiro. He had a Publishing House for a while, and in 1968, he started designing furniture for our home …what later became his work.

4. What led you to the design creation ?

Need… to begin with. As I mentioned before, he always designed what he needed…cars, boats, knives, tools, bikes, etc, etc, etc. Furniture came because he didn’t have the money to buy furniture for our house in the artistic area of Santa Teresa in RJ.

5. How would you describe your creative process and it influences ?

Our father designed nonstop, between a coffee and a cigarette. He was curious about everything. Influences—as far as I am aware—it all came from inside!!!

6. Could you describe a typical day of your work ?

Our father was a night owl person. He designed all night long. He trained one of his artisans to rule the atelier during the day. Odair is still with us, 50 years later.

7. Why did you choose the specific materials you work with ?

The choice of materials for his furniture had two reasons:
– His know-how with fiberglass and resin from the racing cars he designed and manufactured;
– His profound dislike of copies…most other designers worked with wood. Although our father loved wood—he had a carpentry and made everything for himself in wood—he never used it in his commercial furniture collection.

8. What are the technical particularities of your creations ?

Our father was above all an artisan. He would draw three lines of a new chair, but would finalize the design only when he manufactured it at his atelier with his own hands.

9. What advices could you give to beginning artists who would like to create sculptural design works ?

I will quote our father: “The material demands a shape or the shape indicates the material – The designer is a prisoner of this relationship.”

10. If your works had to belong to a design movement, in which one would you define it ?

I have never heard him mention one!

11. What designers and artists have influenced you ?

I know he liked the Thonet’s chairs and Marcel Breuer’s chairs.

12. What contemporary designers do you appreciate ?

Unfortunately, he isn’t here to tell us.

13. What contemporary artists (in any kind of art) have you been inspired by ?

I heard him talking about painters but never designers…all the Impressionists.

14. If you had to summarize your creations in one word or sentence, what would it be ?

He would say: Functional.

I would say: Elegant.

15. Is there anything you would like to add ?

WE MISS HIM.
There isn’t one day that goes by in which we don’t think about something new that would blow our father’s mind and that he would certainly take the most profit possible with his creativity and his knowledge of mechanics, physics, chemistry, ergonomics, etc.

PROUST QUESTIONNAIRE
(The Proust Questionnaire is a set of questions answered by the French writer Marcel Proust.
Other historical figures who have answered confession albums are Oscar Wilde,
Karl Marx, Arthur Conan Doyle, Stéphane Mallarmé, Paul Cézanne…)

1. What is your idea of perfect happiness?

Family, Beauty, Harmony.

2. What is your greatest fear?

Mediocracy, Cowardice, Lack of Freedom.

3. What is the trait you most deplore in yourself?

Laziness.

4. What is the trait you most deplore in others?

Arrogance.

5. Which living person do you most admire?

While he was alive…Ayrton Senna rsrsrsr.

6. What is your greatest extravagance?

He would go to London to have his shirts made at his British tailor. 

7. What is your current state of mind?

Curious.

8. What do you consider the most overrated virtue?

Intelligence.

9. What is the quality you most like in a man ?

Spirituality.

10. What is the quality you most like in a woman ?

Being funny.

11. Which words or phrases do you most overuse?

He cursed a lot !! rsrsrs.

12. Which talent would you most like to have?

Patience.

13. If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?

The teeth.

14. What do you consider your greatest achievement?

His furniture.

15. If you were to die and come back as a person or a thing, what would it be?

A dog.

16. Where would you most like to live?

In the mountains.

17. What is your most treasured possession?

Cars.

18. What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery?

Comunisme.

19. What is your favorite occupation?

Designing.

20. What is your most marked characteristic?

Intelligency.

21. What do you most value in your friends?

Conversation.

22. Who are your favorite writers?

Omar Aki Shah e Idrish Shah.

23. Who is your hero of fiction?

Batman.

24. Which historical figure do you most identify with?

Churchill.

25. Who are your heroes in real life?

Simple people.

26. What are your favorite names?

Sean e Josefina.

27. What is it that you most dislike?

Cowardice.

28. What is your greatest regret?

He didn’t have time to find out…

29. How would you like to die?

I guess…he would like not to have died.

30. What is your motto?

Make it happen.