The definitive guide to the American designers Charles & Ray Eames' furniture
Charles Eames (1907-1978) and Ray Eames (1912-1988) were husband and wife designers whose furniture is synonomous with "Modern Design": the Eames Lounge Chair, The Molded Plywood Chair, and the Molded Plastic Rocking Chair.
They also worked in the fields of industrial and graphic design, textiles, toys, fine art and film.
This books functions as a catalogue raisonne of EAMES Furniture based on the archive of the VITRA Design Museum.
Includes drawings, plans, models, material studies, prototypes and production examples as well as manufacturing correspondence related to 100+ furniture items.
Profusely illustrated -- 300+ images.
How is this book different from other Eames books? Most Eames books cover all facets of their work. This book focuses solely on the furniture: so rather than a wide romp through their career, this is a deep dive into one major aspect of their work.
The exhibition The World of Charles & Ray Eames will open in Fall 2017 at the Vitra
Author Pat Kirkham is Professor of Design History and Cultural Studies at Bard Graduate Center for Studies, NYC
An essential reference book for furniture collectors and the design trade.
WEST COAST INTEREST: The Eames were based in Pacific Palisades CA , and their house is open to the public by reservation. Los Angeles based Eames Demetrios is their grandson and Director of the Eames Office
Edited by Mateo Kries, Jolanthe Kugler. Foreword by Eames Demetrios. Text by Charles Eames, Ray Eames, Pat Kirkham, Jolanthe Kugler, Matthias Pühl.
Full of painstaking research, this is the definitive guide to the Eames' furniture
Through models, material studies, prototypes and production examples of the Eames estate held at the Vitra Design Museum, this publication aims to reconstruct the genesis of the most relevant furniture designs by Charles and Ray Eames and shed light on their influence on the development of new and innovative materials. New insights into the thought processes and work practices of this legendary couple are revealed, designers whose work was driven by philosophical ideals that privileged knowledge, discovery and discipline, and embraced the potential of technology and science for the common good.
Among the most important American designers, Charles Eames (1907–78) and Ray Eames (1912–88) are celebrated for their groundbreaking work in furniture, architecture, exhibitions, graphic design, toys and film. Charles and Ray married in 1941 and moved to California where they pursued their furniture design work with molding plywood. During World War II they were commissioned by the US Navy to produce molded plywood splints, stretchers and experimental glider shells. Their molded plywood chair was called “the chair of the century” by the famous architecture critic Esther McCoy.
Featured image is reproduced from 'Eames Furniture Sourcebook.'
STATUS: Out of stock
Temporarily out of stock pending additional inventory.
Charles and Ray Eames are probably the most famous and influential design couple of the twentieth century. From the very beginning, they adopted a holistic approach that could be applied to virtually any design challenge—whether in furniture, film, exhibition design, architecture, graphic design, textiles, photography or multi-media. This 1958 Julius Shulman photograph of the couple in their Eames House living room gives a sense of the all-encompassing optimism and spirit of play that defined their aesthetic. It is reproduced from Eames Furniture Sourcebook, the Vitra Design Museum’s authoritative new 336-page survey. Not only is the content of this book definitive, but the production is Vitra-level superb. continue to blog
Designed between 1940 and 1950, and put into production by Herman Miller in 1950, Charles and Ray Eames’ DAX fiberglass armchair was originally priced at $32.50 and developed in response to a MoMA low-cost furniture competition. Previously, inexpensive, virtually indestructible fiberglass had been used in the aviation and boating industries, but not in mass-produced furniture. "For the Eameses," Jolanthe Kugler writes, "a chair was never just a chair but rather a solution to a whole range of problems and could innovatively react, often by integrating new industrial materials and manufacturing techniques designed by the Eameses themselves to the challenges posed by the living and working conditions of the time." Read more in Vitra Design Museum’s definitive and exquisitely produced Eames Furniture Sourcebook. continue to blog
FORMAT: Hbk, 6.75 x 9.5 in. / 336 pgs / 350 color. LIST PRICE: U.S. $75.00 LIST PRICE: CANADA $99 ISBN: 9783945852200 PUBLISHER: Vitra Design Museum AVAILABLE: 12/26/2017 DISTRIBUTION: D.A.P. RETAILER DISC: TRADE PUBLISHING STATUS: Active AVAILABILITY: Out of stock TERRITORY: NA LA
Published by Vitra Design Museum. Edited by Mateo Kries, Jolanthe Kugler. Foreword by Eames Demetrios. Text by Charles Eames, Ray Eames, Pat Kirkham, Jolanthe Kugler, Matthias Pühl.
Full of painstaking research, this is the definitive guide to the Eames' furniture
Through models, material studies, prototypes and production examples of the Eames estate held at the Vitra Design Museum, this publication aims to reconstruct the genesis of the most relevant furniture designs by Charles and Ray Eames and shed light on their influence on the development of new and innovative materials. New insights into the thought processes and work practices of this legendary couple are revealed, designers whose work was driven by philosophical ideals that privileged knowledge, discovery and discipline, and embraced the potential of technology and science for the common good.
Among the most important American designers, Charles Eames (1907–78) and Ray Eames (1912–88) are celebrated for their groundbreaking work in furniture, architecture, exhibitions, graphic design, toys and film. Charles and Ray married in 1941 and moved to California where they pursued their furniture design work with molding plywood. During World War II they were commissioned by the US Navy to produce molded plywood splints, stretchers and experimental glider shells. Their molded plywood chair was called “the chair of the century” by the famous architecture critic Esther McCoy.
