Vitra - Eames House Bird walnut miniature
Charles and Ray Eames have enriched the collage-like interior of their private home, the Eames House, with numerous items and accessories they have brought with them from their travels. For over fifty years, the figure of a wooden bird remained at the center of the living room, an artifact of American folk art that evidently was highly appreciated by the couple, since it appeared frequently also as an accessory in the photographs taken by Charles and Ray. For decades, the carved figure of a wooden bird occupied a central place in the Eames House, as a particularly valuable artifact between the possessions of Charles and Ray Eames. They often used the domestic bird as a decorative object in photo shoots.
Charles & Ray Eames
Charles and Ray Eames; They embodied 20th century design thanks to the creation of design icons and an experimental spirit. At the same time they marked the independence of the American context from European influences. After a new trip to Mexico, fundamental in shaping his aesthetics and technical approach, Eames opened an office with Robert Walsh. There, he met Ray Kaiser as his student. The latter, born in Sacramento, in 1912, was a promising artist interested in design, a skilled painter who previously studied at May Friend Bennett School (New York), and founded the AAA-American Abstract Artists group in the 1930s. Charles and Ray Eames got married in 1942 and then moved to California: he worked on sets for MGM, but soon they started their experiments — as Plyformed Wood Company — with curved plywood for prostheses and medical equipment, which granted them funds from the State, and advanced means of production. In Post-war years, this experimentation evolved into a season of great successes,where they created iconic pieces destined to become milestones in the history of design. The latter, presented at MoMA in 1946, were chosen by Herman Miller for production and marketing, thus starting a historic productive collaboration which is still in progress. The prototypes developed by the spouses consist of curved plywood into several separate pieces. This technique was preferred to that of the single piece for reasons of economy and versatility: DCW, LCW and LCM appear. The next steps see the integration of new materials and techniques, such as printable plastics, or glass fiber from one-piece armchairs from 1948. Metal is another point of great importance in this research. This is demonstrated by the combinations with wood of the Eames Storage Units and the LTR, or the plasticity of the metal mesh that structures the Bikini chairs. After a decade of studies, in 1956 the definitive version of the Lounge Chair and Ottoman will be presented, a design icon as well as the only exception to the Eames philosophy of "highest quality at the lowest price", with its metal and rosewood structure and leather upholstery.
Vitra is a Swiss company that produces furniture and interior design. Known for producing the works of important designers and architects.The headquarters are located in Weil am Rhein, Germany, where the famous Vitra Design Museum is also located.This story starts in the post-war years, when two Americans, both architects, Charles and Ray Eames, decided to help a furniture dealer.The collaboration led them to design and then produce masterpieces for interior design, which are still very current today.
