Charles Eames
Charles Eames was born in St. Louis, Missouri, in 1907. He studied architecture at Washington University, graduating in 1928.
In 1930 he founded the architecture office Gray and Eames, 1935 the architecture office Eames and Walsh.
In 1938 Eliel Saarinen offered Charles Eames a scholarship to Cranbrook Academy of Art in Michigan, where Eames studied design and architecture. In 1939 Eames began to teach design at Cranbrook and in 1940 he became head of the industrial design department.
Together with Eero Saarinen, Charles Eames took part in the "Organic Design in Home Furnishings" competition in 1940 by the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York. They collaborated amongst others with Ray Kaiser on the designs they submitted to the New York competition. Their main design, an armchair with a seat and back made of a single piece of three-dimensionally shaped plywood, was awarded a prize.
Ray and Charles married in 1941 and moved to Los Angeles where Charles worked as a set designer for MGM Studios and Ray designed covers for "Art & Architecture Magazine".
In 1946 MoMA exhibited "New Furniture Designed by Charles Eames", showing prototypes of the plywood furniture designed till then by Eames's office. They included the "Lounge Chair, Metal (LCM)" and the "Lounge Chair, Wood (LCW)", which is made of several molded wooden elements. The "LCW" was based on a 1940 design and a further development of it with arms became the prototype of the famous and elaborate Lounge Chair "No. 670" with the "No. 671" footstool (1956).
Later Ray and Charles Eames were also experimenting with fiber glass. They created the revolutionary "Plastic Shell Group" and the elegant curvilinear chair "La Chaise" (1948), which Charles Eames had submitted to the MoMA "Low-cost Furniture Design" competition, the "Dining Armchair Rod (DAR)", and the "Rocking Armchair Rod (RAR)" (1948-1950).
In 1958 Eames designed the "Aluminium Group", in 1960 the "Lobby Chair".
The furniture designed by Charles und Ray Eames is mainly produced by Herman Miller and Vitra.
A variety of toys, small objects, films and exhibitions were also part of the scope of the Eames Office.
Charles died in 1978, Ray died in 1988. The Eames Office still operates today, run by Charles' daughter, designer Lucia Eames, and her son, Demetrios Eames, releasing their designs in furniture, film, video and other media as well as creating new products.
In 1930 he founded the architecture office Gray and Eames, 1935 the architecture office Eames and Walsh.
In 1938 Eliel Saarinen offered Charles Eames a scholarship to Cranbrook Academy of Art in Michigan, where Eames studied design and architecture. In 1939 Eames began to teach design at Cranbrook and in 1940 he became head of the industrial design department.
Together with Eero Saarinen, Charles Eames took part in the "Organic Design in Home Furnishings" competition in 1940 by the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York. They collaborated amongst others with Ray Kaiser on the designs they submitted to the New York competition. Their main design, an armchair with a seat and back made of a single piece of three-dimensionally shaped plywood, was awarded a prize.
Ray and Charles married in 1941 and moved to Los Angeles where Charles worked as a set designer for MGM Studios and Ray designed covers for "Art & Architecture Magazine".
In 1946 MoMA exhibited "New Furniture Designed by Charles Eames", showing prototypes of the plywood furniture designed till then by Eames's office. They included the "Lounge Chair, Metal (LCM)" and the "Lounge Chair, Wood (LCW)", which is made of several molded wooden elements. The "LCW" was based on a 1940 design and a further development of it with arms became the prototype of the famous and elaborate Lounge Chair "No. 670" with the "No. 671" footstool (1956).
Later Ray and Charles Eames were also experimenting with fiber glass. They created the revolutionary "Plastic Shell Group" and the elegant curvilinear chair "La Chaise" (1948), which Charles Eames had submitted to the MoMA "Low-cost Furniture Design" competition, the "Dining Armchair Rod (DAR)", and the "Rocking Armchair Rod (RAR)" (1948-1950).
In 1958 Eames designed the "Aluminium Group", in 1960 the "Lobby Chair".
The furniture designed by Charles und Ray Eames is mainly produced by Herman Miller and Vitra.
A variety of toys, small objects, films and exhibitions were also part of the scope of the Eames Office.
Charles died in 1978, Ray died in 1988. The Eames Office still operates today, run by Charles' daughter, designer Lucia Eames, and her son, Demetrios Eames, releasing their designs in furniture, film, video and other media as well as creating new products.
