Ray And Charles Eames
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Charles Eames ( Charles Eames, Jr) and Ray Eames ( Ray-Bernice Eames) were an American married couple of industrial designers who made significant historical contributions to the development of
modern architecture Modern architecture, also called modernist architecture, or the modern movement, is an architectural movement and style that was prominent in the 20th century, between the earlier Art Deco and later postmodern movements. Modern architectur ...
and
furniture Furniture refers to objects intended to support various human activities such as seating (e.g., Stool (seat), stools, chairs, and sofas), eating (table (furniture), tables), storing items, working, and sleeping (e.g., beds and hammocks). Furnitur ...
through the work of the Eames Office. They also worked in the fields of industrial and
graphic design Graphic design is a profession, academic discipline and applied art that involves creating visual communications intended to transmit specific messages to social groups, with specific objectives. Graphic design is an interdisciplinary branch of ...
,
fine art In European academic traditions, fine art (or, fine arts) is made primarily for aesthetics or creative expression, distinguishing it from popular art, decorative art or applied art, which also either serve some practical function (such as ...
, and
film A film, also known as a movie or motion picture, is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, emotions, or atmosphere through the use of moving images that are generally, sinc ...
. Charles was the public face of the Eames Office, but Ray and Charles worked together as creative partners and employed a diverse creative staff. Among their most recognized designs is the
Eames Lounge Chair The Eames Lounge Chair and Ottoman is a lounge chair and ottoman manufactured and sold by American furniture company Herman Miller. Introduced in 1956, the Eames Lounge Chair was designed by Charles and Ray Eames and is made of molded plywood an ...
and the Eames Dining Chair.


Background

Charles Eames secured an architecture scholarship at
Washington University Washington University in St. Louis (WashU) is a private research university in St. Louis, Missouri, United States. Founded in 1853 by a group of civic leaders and named for George Washington, the university spans 355 acres across its Danforth ...
, but his devotion to the practices of
Frank Lloyd Wright Frank Lloyd Wright Sr. (June 8, 1867 – April 9, 1959) was an American architect, designer, writer, and educator. He designed List of Frank Lloyd Wright works, more than 1,000 structures over a creative period of 70 years. Wright played a key ...
caused issues with his tutors and he left after just two years of study. He met Ray Kaiser at
Cranbrook Academy of Art The Cranbrook Academy of Art, a graduate school for architecture, art, and design, was founded by George Gough Booth and Ellen Scripps Booth in 1932. It is the art school of the Cranbrook Educational Community. Located in Bloomfield Hills, Mi ...
in 1940. Charles arrived at the school on an industrial design fellowship as recommended by
Eliel Saarinen Gottlieb Eliel Saarinen (, ; August 20, 1873 – July 1, 1950) was a Finnish and American Architecture, architect known for his work with Art Nouveau buildings in the early years of the 20th century. He was also the father of famed architect Ee ...
, but soon became an instructor. Ray enrolled in various courses to expand upon her previous education in abstract painting in New York City under the guidance of
Hans Hofmann Hans Hofmann (March 21, 1880 – February 17, 1966) was a German-born American painter, renowned as both an artist and teacher. His career spanned two generations and two continents, and is considered to have both preceded and influenced Abstrac ...
. Charles entered into a furniture competition—with his “best friend”
Eero Saarinen Eero Saarinen (, ; August 20, 1910 – September 1, 1961) was a Finnish-American architect and industrial designer who created a wide array of innovative designs for buildings and monuments, including the General Motors Technical Center; the pa ...
—hosted by the
Museum of Modern Art The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) is an art museum located in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, on 53rd Street (Manhattan), 53rd Street between Fifth Avenue, Fifth and Sixth Avenues. MoMA's collection spans the late 19th century to the present, a ...
. Eames and Saarinen's goal was to mold a single piece of plywood into a chair; the Organic Chair was born out of this attempt. The chair won first prize, but its form was unable to be successfully mass-produced. Eames and Saarinen considered it a failure, as the tooling for molding a chair from a single piece of wood had not yet been invented. Ray stepped in to help with the
graphic design Graphic design is a profession, academic discipline and applied art that involves creating visual communications intended to transmit specific messages to social groups, with specific objectives. Graphic design is an interdisciplinary branch of ...
for their entry. Eames divorced his first wife Catherine Woermann, and he and Ray married in June 1941. Their honeymoon was a road trip to relocate to Los Angeles. Their first home, after staying in a hotel for a few weeks, was Neutra's Strathmore Apartments in the Westwood neighborhood. Charles and Ray began creating tooling and molding plywood into chairs in the second bedroom of the apartment, eventually finding more adequate work spaces in
Venice Venice ( ; ; , formerly ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 islands that are separated by expanses of open water and by canals; portions of the city are li ...
.


The Eames Office

The design office of Charles and Ray Eames functioned for more than four decades (1943–1988) in the former Bay Cities GarageRoger Vincent (July 15, 2012)
Former Eames furniture design headquarters sold in Venice
''
Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...
''.
at 901 Abbot Kinney Boulevard in
Venice, Los Angeles Venice is a neighborhood of the City of Los Angeles within the Westside region of Los Angeles County, California, United States. Venice was founded by Abbot Kinney in 1905 as a seaside resort town. It was an independent city until 1926, whe ...
,
California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...
. The Eameses worked approximately 13-hour days, six or seven days a week, and directed the work of a team of collaborators. Through the years, its staff included many notable designers:
Gregory Ain Gregory Samuel Ain (March 28, 1908 – January 9, 1988) was an American architect active in the mid-20th century. Working primarily in the Los Angeles area, Ain is best known for bringing elements of modern architecture to lower- and medium- ...
(who was Chief Engineer for the Eameses during World War II), Don Albinson,
Harry Bertoia Harry Bertoia (March 10, 1915 – November 6, 1978) was an Italian-born American artist, sound art sculptor, and modern furniture furniture designer, designer. Bertoia was born in San Lorenzo di Arzene, San Lorenzo d'Arzene, Province of Porden ...
, Annette Del Zoppo, Peter Jon Pearce, and
Deborah Sussman Deborah Sussman (May 26, 1931August 20, 2014) was an American designer and a pioneer in the field of environmental graphic design. Her work incorporated graphic design into architectural and public spaces. Early life and education Deborah ...
. The Eameses believed in "learning by doing"- before introducing a new idea at the Eames Office, Charles and Ray explored needs and constraints of the idea extensively.


Early Use of Plywood

The Eameses began exploration into bent plywood as early as 1941, seeing the potential of a lightweight and low-cost material. However, manufacturers lacked the capacity to bring their ideas to life. In 1942, the Eameses built a plywood-curing oven, name
Kazam!
in their apartment. From Kazam!, they produced their first bent-plywood seat shell. In late 1941, the Eameses began developing a leg splint for wounded soldiers during WWII. This was in response to medical officers in combat zones reporting the need for improved emergency transport splints. The splints needed to be lightweight, stackable, and tightly support the form of the human leg without cutting off circulation. Using a mold from Charles's leg, they set about applying their experiments in bent-plywood to the use-case of splints. The Eameses created their splints from wood veneers, which they bonded together with a resin glue and shaped into compound curves using a process involving heat and pressure. With the introduction of plywood splints, they were able to replace problematic metal traction splints that had side effects of inducing
gangrene Gangrene is a type of tissue death caused by a lack of blood supply. Symptoms may include a change in skin color to red or black, numbness, swelling, pain, skin breakdown, and coolness. The feet and hands are most commonly affected. If the ga ...
due to impairment of blood circulation. The US navy's funding for the splints allowed Charles and Ray to begin experimenting more heavily with furniture designs and mass production. In 1942 and 1943, the Eameses also experimented with large, bent-plywood sculptures as a way of testing the limits of the technology and experimenting with new forms.


Domestic furniture design

Eames products were manufactured on Washington Boulevard until the 1950s. Among the many important designs originating there are the molded-plywood DCW (Dining Chair Wood) and DCM (Dining Chair Metal with a plywood seat) (1945);
Eames Lounge Chair The Eames Lounge Chair and Ottoman is a lounge chair and ottoman manufactured and sold by American furniture company Herman Miller. Introduced in 1956, the Eames Lounge Chair was designed by Charles and Ray Eames and is made of molded plywood an ...
(1956); the Aluminum Group furniture (1958); the Eames Chaise (1968), designed for Charles's friend and film director,
Billy Wilder Billy Wilder (; ; born Samuel Wilder; June 22, 1906 – March 27, 2002) was an American filmmaker and screenwriter. His career in Hollywood (film industry), Hollywood spanned five decades, and he is regarded as one of the most brilliant and ver ...
; the Solar Do-Nothing Machine (1957), an early
solar energy Solar energy is the radiant energy from the Sun's sunlight, light and heat, which can be harnessed using a range of technologies such as solar electricity, solar thermal energy (including solar water heating) and solar architecture. It is a ...
experiment for the Aluminum Corporation of America; and a number of toys.


Office furniture design

The Eames lounge chair designed in 1956 for
Herman Miller MillerKnoll, Inc., doing business as Herman Miller, is an American company that produces office furniture, equipment, and home furnishings. Its best known designs include the Aeron chair, Noguchi table, Marshmallow sofa, Mirra chair, and t ...
quickly became a prototype for
ergonomic Ergonomics, also known as human factors or human factors engineering (HFE), is the application of psychological and physiological principles to the engineering and design of products, processes, and systems. Primary goals of human factors engi ...
furniture. As with their earlier
molded plywood Molded plywood is the term for two- or three-dimensionally shaped products from multiple veneer layers that are glued together through heat and pressure in a pressing tool. The veneer layers are arranged crosswise at an angle of 90 degrees. Molded ...
work, the Eames' pioneered technologies, such as using fiberglass as a materials for mass-produced furniture. In the 1948 and 1952
Herman Miller MillerKnoll, Inc., doing business as Herman Miller, is an American company that produces office furniture, equipment, and home furnishings. Its best known designs include the Aeron chair, Noguchi table, Marshmallow sofa, Mirra chair, and t ...
office furniture catalogs listed Eames furniture. Herman Miller officially relocated the tooling and resources for the mass production of Eames designs to its headquarters in
Zeeland, Michigan Zeeland ( ) is a city in Ottawa County, Michigan, Ottawa County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 5,719 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The city is located at the western edge of Zeeland Charter Township, Michigan, ...
in 1958. Herman Miller, along with their European counterpart Vitra, remain the only licensed manufacturers of Eames furniture and products.


Fabric design

In August 2005, Maharam fabrics reissued Eames designed fabrics; Sea Things (1947) pattern and Dot Pattern. Dot Pattern was conceived for The Museum of Modern Art's “Competition for Printed Fabrics” in 1947. The Eames fabrics were designed solely by Ray. In 1979, the
Royal Institute of British Architects The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) is a professional body for architects primarily in the United Kingdom, but also internationally, founded for the advancement of architecture under its royal charter granted in 1837, three suppl ...
awarded Charles and Ray with the
Royal Gold Medal The Royal Gold Medal for architecture is awarded annually by the Royal Institute of British Architects on behalf of the British monarch, in recognition of an individual's or group's substantial contribution to international architecture. It is gi ...
. At the time of Charles' death they were working on what became their last production, the Eames Sofa, which went into production thanks to Ray's efforts in 1984.


Films

Charles and Ray channeled their separate interest in
photography Photography is the visual arts, art, application, and practice of creating images by recording light, either electronically by means of an image sensor, or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film. It is empl ...
and theatre into the production of 125
short film A short film is a film with a low running time. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of not more than 40 minutes including all credits". Other film o ...
s. From their first film, the unfinished ''Traveling Boy'' (1950), to the most-recognized ''
Powers of Ten In mathematics, a power of 10 is any of the integer powers of the number ten; in other words, ten multiplied by itself a certain number of times (when the power is a positive integer). By definition, the number one is a power (the zeroth power ...
'' (re-released in 1977), to their last film in 1982, their cinematic work was an outlet for ideas, a vehicle for experimentation and education. The couple often produced short films to document their interests, such as collecting toys and cultural artifacts on their travels. The films also record the process of hanging their exhibits or producing classic furniture designs. One film, ''Blacktop'', filmed soap suds and water moving over the pavement of a parking lot, a normally mundane subject turned visually poetic. ''Powers of Ten'' (narrated by physicist
Philip Morrison Philip Morrison (November 7, 1915 – April 22, 2005) was a professor of physics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). He is known for his work on the Manhattan Project during World War II, and for his later work in quantum physic ...
) gives a dramatic demonstration of
orders of magnitude In a ratio scale based on powers of ten, the order of magnitude is a measure of the nearness of two figures. Two numbers are "within an order of magnitude" of each other if their ratio is between 1/10 and 10. In other words, the two numbers are wi ...
by visually zooming away from the earth to the edge of the universe, and then microscopically zooming into the nucleus of a carbon atom. The "Powers of Ten shot" has been referenced by Hollywood as a praised filming technique.


Architecture

Charles attended Washington University from 1936 to 1938 and was expelled from the architecture program due to his loyalty to the practices of Frank Lloyd Wright. He constructed two churches in Arkansas and three homes in St. Louis without an architecture license. He relocated to Michigan to attend the Cranbrook Academy of Art. Three years after arriving in Los Angeles, Charles and Ray were asked to participate in the Case Study House Program, a housing program sponsored by Arts & Architecture magazine in the hopes of showcasing examples of economically-priced modern homes that utilized wartime and industrial materials. John Entenza, the owner and editor of Arts & Architecture magazine, recognized the importance of Charles and Ray's thinking and design practices—alongside becoming a close friend of the couple. Charles and Eero Saarinen were hired to design Case Study House number 8, which would be the residence of Charles and Ray, and Case Study House number 9, which would house John Entenza, in 1945. The two homes (alongside other Case Study houses) would share a five-acre parcel of land in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood north of Santa Monica, which overlooked the Pacific Ocean. Because of post-war material rationing, the materials ordered for the first draft of the Eames House (called “the Bridge House”) were backordered. Charles and Ray spent many days and nights on-site in the meadow picnicking, shooting arrows, and socializing with family, friends, and coworkers. They learned of their love for the eucalyptus grove, the expanse of land, and the unobstructed view of the ocean. They made the decision to not build the Bridge House and instead reconfigured the materials to create two separate structures nestled into the property's hillside. Eero Saarinen had no part in this second draft of the Eames House; it was a full collaboration between Charles and Ray. The materials were finally delivered and the house was erected from February through December 1949. The Eames' moved in on Christmas Eve and it became their only residence for the remainder of their lives. It remains a milestone of
modern architecture Modern architecture, also called modernist architecture, or the modern movement, is an architectural movement and style that was prominent in the 20th century, between the earlier Art Deco and later postmodern movements. Modern architectur ...
. The Eames Office designed a few more pieces of architecture, many of which were never put into fruition. The Herman Miller Showroom on Beverly Boulevard in Los Angeles was built in 1950 and the De Pree House was constructed in Zeeland, Michigan for Max De Pree, son of the founder of Herman Miller, and his growing family. Unbuilt projects include the Billy Wilder House, the prefabricated kit home known as the Kwikset House, and a national aquarium.


Exhibition design

The Eameses also conceived and designed a number of exhibitions. The first of these, '' Mathematica: A World of Numbers... and Beyond'' (1961), was sponsored by
IBM International Business Machines Corporation (using the trademark IBM), nicknamed Big Blue, is an American Multinational corporation, multinational technology company headquartered in Armonk, New York, and present in over 175 countries. It is ...
, and is the only Eames exhibition still in existence. The ''Mathematica'' exhibition is still considered a model for
science popularization Popular science (also called pop-science or popsci) is an interpretation of science intended for a general audience. While science journalism focuses on recent scientific developments, popular science is more broad ranging. It may be written ...
exhibitions. It was followed by ''A Computer Perspective: Background to the Computer Age'' (1971) and ''The World of Franklin and Jefferson'' (1975–1977), among others.


List of works


Architecture

* Sweetzer House, 1931 (Charles only) *St. Mary's Church, Helena, Arkansas, 1934 (Charles only) *St. Mary's Catholic Church, Paragould, Arkansas, 1935 (Charles only) *Meyer House, Huntleigh, Missouri, 1936–1938 (Charles only) * Dinsmoor House, 1936 (Charles only) *Dean House, 1936 (Charles only) * City Hall, 1944 (unbuilt, for Architectural Forum magazine competition) *Bridge House, 1945 (Charles and Eero Sarrinen, unbuilt) *Jefferson National Expansion Memorial Competition, 1947 (St. Louis Gateway Arch by Eero Saarinen won the competition) *
Eames House The Eames House (also known as Case Study House No. 8) is a landmark of mid-20th century modern architecture located at 203 North Chautauqua Boulevard in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles. It was constructed in 1949, by husband ...
, Case Study House 8, Pacific Palisades, California, 1949 * Entenza House, Case Study House 9, Pacific Palisades, California, 1950 * Billy Wilder House, Beverly Hills, California, 1950 (unbuilt) * Herman Miller Showroom, Los Angeles, California, 1950 * Kwikset House, 1951 (unbuilt) * Max and Esther De Pree House, Zeeland, Michigan, 1954 * Griffith Park Railroad, Los Angeles, California, 1957 *Revell Toy House, 1959 (unbuilt) *The Time-Life Building Lobby, 1961 *National Fisheries Center and Aquarium, Washington D.C., 1967 (unbuilt)


Films (selected)

* ''Traveling Boy'' (1950) *''Blacktop: A Story of the Washing of a School Play Yard'' (1952) *''Parade Parade Or Here They Are Coming Down Our Street'' (1952) *''Circus'' (1953) *''A Communications Primer'' (1953) 3/sup> *''House: After Five Years of Living'' (1955) *''Day of the Dead'' (1957) *'' Toccata for Toy Trains'' (1957) *''The Information Machine'' (1957) 4/sup> *''Solar Do-Nothing Machine'' (1957) * India (1958) *''Glimpses of the USA'' (1959) *''An Introduction to Feedback'' (1959) *''Kaleidoscope Jazz Chair'' (1960) *''Tivoli Slide Show'' (1961) *''Furniture: Beautiful Details'' (1961) *''IBM Mathematics Peep Show'' (1961), short documentary based on '' Mathematica: A World of Numbers... and Beyond'' exhibit by Eames *''House of Science'' (1962) *''IBM Fair Presentation Film #2'' (1963) *''THINK'' (1964) *''Smithsonian Institution'' (1965) *''Herman Miller International Slideshow'' (1967) *''G.E.M. Slide Show'' (1967) *''Picasso Slide Show'' (1967) *''National Fisheries Center and Aquarium'' (1967) * A Computer Glossary (1968) *''Babbage’s Calculating Machine or Difference Engine'' (1968) *''Tops'' (1969) *''Image of the City'' (1969) 5/sup> *''The Black Ships'' (1970) *''Soft Pad'' (1970) *''Circus Slide Show'' (1970) *''Louvre Slide Show'' (1970) *''Cemeteries Slide Show'' (1970) *''Tim Gad Slide Show'' (1971) * Goods ''Slide Show'' (1971) *''Baptistery Slide Show'' (1971) *''Computer Perspective'' (1972) *''Alpha'' (1972) *''SX-70, promotional announcement/documentary of the
Polaroid Corporation Polaroid Corporation was an American company that made instant film and cameras, which survives as a brand for consumer electronics. The company was founded in 1937 by Edwin H. Land, to exploit his Polaroid (polarizer), Polaroid polarizing polyme ...
SX-70
instant camera An instant camera is a camera which uses instant film, self-developing film to create a chemically Photographic processing, developed print shortly after taking the picture. Polaroid Corporation pioneered (and Patent, patented) consumer-friend ...
'' *''Banana Leaf'' (1972) *''Design Q&A'' (1972) *''Copernicus'' (1973) *''Atlas: A Sketch of the Rise and Fall of the Roman Empire'' (1976) * ''Powers of Ten'' (1968, rereleased in 1977) *''Goods'' (1981)


Furniture

*''Kleinhans Music Hall Chair'' (1939–40) Charles Eames, Eero Saarinen, Eliel Saarinen. *''Conversation Armchair'' (1940) Charles Eames & Eero Saarinen. *''Side Chair'' (1940) Charles Eames & Eero Saarinen. *''Molded Plywood Pilot's Seat'' (1943) *''Prototype Plywood and Metal Chairs'' (various models) (1943–1946) *''Molded Plywood Elephant ''(1945) *'' Lounge Chair Wood'' or ''LCW'' (1945–1946) *''Lounge Chair Metal'' or ''LCM'' (1945–1946) *''Dining Chair Wood'' or ''DCW'' (1945–1946) *''Dining Chair Metal'' or ''DCM'' (1945–1946) *''Molded Plywood Folding Screen'' (1945–1946) *''Molded Plywood Coffee Table'' wood or metal legs (1945–1946) *''"Donstrosity" prototype lounge'' (1946) *''Prototype Plywood Lounge with metal base'' (1946) *''Prototype Stamped Metal Chairs'' (1948) *''LaChaise prototype'' (1948) *'' Molded Plastic & Fiberglass Armchair Shell ''various bases'''' (1948–1950) *''Wire Mesh Side Chair'' or ''DKR'' (1951) *''Hang-It-All'' (1953) *'' 670 & 671 or Eames Lounge & Ottoman'' (1956) *''Leisure Group'' (later Aluminum Group): High Back Lounge, Low Back Lounge, Dining Side Chair (1958) *''Eames Chaise'' (1968) File:Charles and Ray Eames - Plastic Chair 1950-53.jpg File:La Chaise by Charles and Ray Eames and FLY by Ferruccio Laviani.jpg, La Chaise File:Charles and Ray Eames - Bucket chair - 1951 - Boijmans V 1051 (KN&V) 02.jpg File:LCW (Lounge Chair Wood) Chair by Charles and Ray Eames, Honolulu Museum of Art 4410.1.JPG File:Eames chair-IMG 4624.jpg File:Eames chair-IMG 4611.jpg File:MOMA chairs 2.jpg File:Eames elephant.jpg


Exhibition design

* ''Textiles and Ornamental Arts of India'' (1955) * ''Glimpses of the USA'' (seven screens for the
American exhibition The ''American Exhibition'' was a world's fair held at Earls Court in West Brompton, London, in 1887 in the year of Queen Victoria's golden jubilee. Support for an exhibition had been sought in 1886, but with a loss of support and the British g ...
in Moscow, Sokoolniki Park, 1959) * '' Mathematica: A World of Numbers... and Beyond'' (IBM, 1961) * IBM Pavilion at the
1964/1965 New York World's Fair The 1964 New York World's Fair (also known as the 1964–1965 New York World's Fair) was an world's fair, international exposition at Flushing Meadows–Corona Park in Queens, New York City, United States. The fair included exhibitions, activ ...
* ''Nehru: The man and his India'' (1965) * ''The World of Franklin and Jefferson'' (1975) built for the US Bicentennial Commission, opened in Paris, traveled to five other countries and the US.


Other

* Zenith 6D030 Z radio (1946) * Emerson 578A radio (1946) * Emerson 588A radio (1946) *''The Toy'' (1951) *''House Of Cards'' (1952) * ''The Coloring Toy'' (1955) * ''Stephens Speaker'' (1956)


Deaths

Charles died on August 21, 1978, while visiting St. Louis. Ray died on August 21, 1988, in Santa Monica, California. Charles's daughter, Lucia Eames, inherited the Eames collections and Eames House. Although Charles did not concern himself with the future of their designs after his death, Ray actively planned the continuation of the Eames legacy during the last decade of her life. Lucia founded th
Eames Foundation
in 2004 to preserve and share the legacy of the Eames House with the public for future generations. Lucia Eames died in 2014, leaving her five children as the Board of Directors of the Eames Office and Eames Foundation. The Eames Office continues its work in educating and advocating for the legacy of the Eames, which includes occasionally releasing previously un-produced Eames designs.


Awards and recognition

* On June 17, 2008, the
US Postal Service The United States Postal Service (USPS), also known as the Post Office, U.S. Mail, or simply the Postal Service, is an independent agency of the executive branch of the United States federal government responsible for providing postal serv ...
released the Eames postage stamps, a pane of 16 stamps celebrating the designs of Charles and Ray Eames. *
AIA AIA or A.I.A. or Aia may refer to: Aia * Aia, a small town in the province of Gipuzkoa, Spain * Peñas de Aya, small mountain range in Oiartzun, Gipuzkoa * Aia, current Kutaisi, ancient capital of Colchis * Aia, another name for Aea (Malis), an ...
Twenty-five Year Award The Twenty-five Year Award is an architecture prize awarded each year by the American Institute of Architects (AIA) to "a building that has set a precedent for the last 25 to 35 years and continues to set standards of excellence for its architec ...
, 1978 *
Royal Gold Medal The Royal Gold Medal for architecture is awarded annually by the Royal Institute of British Architects on behalf of the British monarch, in recognition of an individual's or group's substantial contribution to international architecture. It is gi ...
, 1979 * "The Most Influential Designer of the 20th Century" IDSA 1985 *ADC Hall of Fame, Charles Eames inducted in 1984, Ray Eames inducted in 2008 *First National Industrial Designers Institute Award, 1951 *First Annual Kaufmann International Design Award, 1960 *Museum of Science & Industry, Chicago, Illinois Special Award, 1967 *United States Information Agency, Outstanding Service Award, 1976 *American Institute of Graphic Arts, Medalist Award, 1977 *Art Center College of Design, 50th Anniversary Award for Distinguished Lifetime Achievement, 1980


Contemporary exhibitions and retrospectives

* ''Charles and Ray Eames'' at the
Design Museum The Design Museum in Kensington, London, England, exhibits product, industrial, graphic, fashion, and architectural design. In 2018, the museum won the European Museum of the Year Award. The museum operates as a registered charity, and all fund ...
(1998)Review: Charles and Ray Eames at Design Museum
, ''World Sculpture News'', 4,4 (1998).


(1999) *A documentary about the couple titled '' Eames: The Architect and the Painter'' was released on November 18, 2011, as part of the
American Masters ''American Masters'' is a PBS television series which produces biographies on enduring writers, musicians, visual and performing artists, dramatists, filmmakers, and those who have left an indelible impression on the cultural landscape of the U ...
series on
PBS The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcaster and non-commercial, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly funded nonprofit organization and the most prominent provider of educat ...
television.
The World of Charles and Ray Eames
Barbican Art Gallery The Barbican Centre is a performing arts centre in the Barbican Estate of the City of London, England, and the largest of its kind in Europe. The centre hosts classical and contemporary music concerts, theatre performances, film screenings and ...
, October 21, 2015 – February 14, 2016. *Eames & Hollywood, Art & Design Atomium Museum, March 10, 2016 – September 4, 2016.
The World of Charles and Ray Eames
Oakland Museum of California Oakland is a city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area in the U.S. state of California. It is the county seat and most populous city in Alameda County, California, Alameda County, with a population of 440,646 in 2020. A major We ...
, October 13, 2018 – February 17, 2019


See also

*
National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad The National Institute of Design (NID) is a public design university in Paldi, Ahmedabad, with extension campuses in Gandhinagar and Bengaluru. Regarded as one of the foremost design schools in Asia as surveyed by ''Bloomberg Businessweek'' in ...
* The India Report
Eames Institute of Infinite Curiosity


References


Bibliography

*Butler, Cornelia and Alexandra Schwartz eds. ''Modern Women: Women Artists at the Museum of Modern Art,'' 220–224. New York : Museum of Modern Art, 2010. * Caplan, Ralph, "Connections: The Work of Charles and Ray Eames". Los Angeles: UCLA, 1976. *Rago, David and John Sollo. ''Collecting Modern: a guide to mid-century furniture and collectibles''. Gibbs Smith, 2001. () *Drexler, Arthur. "Charles Eames Furniture from the Design Collection of Modern Art, New York". New York: Museum of Modern Art, 1973 () * Neuhart, Marilyn, Neuhart, John and Eames, Ray. ''Eames Design: The Work of the Office of Charles and Ray Eames''. Abrahms, New York 1989. () * Eisenbrand, Jochen. ''Ray Eames''. Breuer, Gerda, Meer, Julia (ed): ''Women in Graphic Design'', p. 152–163 and 437. Jovis, Berlin 2012. () * Kirkham, Pat. ''Charles and Ray Eames: Designers of the 21st Century''. MIT Press, Boston 1998. () * Brandes, Uta Brandes. ''Citizen Office: Ideen und Notizen zu einer neuen Bürowelt.'' von Vegesack, Alexander (ed) Steidl Verlag, Goettingen 1994. () * Kunkel, Ulrike. ''Ray Eames: Design als Lebensform''. Jürgs, Britta (ed) ''Vom Salzstreuer bis zum Automobil: Designerinnen'', p. 126-139, AvivA Verlag, Berlin 2002. () (de., eng.) * Eames, Charles and Eames, Ray. ''Die Welt von Charles und Ray Eames''. Ernst & Sohn, Berlin 1997. () * Prouvé, Jean. ''Charles & Ray Eames. Die großen Konstrukteure – Parallelen und Unterschiede''. Vitra Design Museum, Weil am Rhein 2002. () (de., frz., engl.). *Demetrios, Eames. ''An Eames Primer''. New York: Universe, 2002. () *Gössel, Peter (ed.) Koenig Gloria. ''Eames''.
Taschen Taschen is a luxury art book publisher founded in 1980 by Benedikt Taschen in Cologne, Germany. As of January 2017, Taschen is co-managed by Benedikt Taschen and his eldest daughter, Marlene Taschen. History The company began as Tasch ...
, 2005. () *Albrecht, Donald. ''The work of Charles and Ray Eames: A Legacy of Invention''. Harry N. Abrams in association with the Library of Congress and the Vitra Design Museum, 2005. () * * Kugler, Jolanthe. "Eames Furniture Sourcebook" Weil am Rhein, Germany Vitra Design Museum 2017


External links


Eames FoundationEames Institute
at th
Eames RanchA Virtual Encyclopedia of All Things Eames

The Library of Congress Website for The Work of Charles & Ray EamesMuseum of Modern Art website
* ttps://web.archive.org/web/20071014215121/http://adcglobal.org/archive/hof/1984/?id=245 Art Directors Club biography, portrait and images of workbr>California Museum Hall of Fame
* * "A Communications Primer"(1953) at the Internet Archive * Charles Eames talks with Studs Terkel, October 1, 1965; on WFMT, from The Chicago History Museum, at the Internet Archive
"Growing Up Eames" on Architectural Digest"Explore the World of Design Icons Charles and Ray Eames" on Architectural Digest"Charles and Ray Eames" by Esther Mccoy in Design Quarterly 1995

Charles and Ray Eames in India" by Saloni Marthur in Art Journal 2011"War Furniture: Charles and Ray Eames Design for the Wounded Body" by Jason Weems in BOOM 2012
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