The Grand Rapids Art Museum (GRAM) organized "The Eames Chair: An Icon of Modern Design," which premiered earlier this year at New York City's Museum of Arts & Design. The traveling exhibitions' next stop will be at the Grand Rapids Art Museum from October 6th to December 31st, 2006. The Henry Ford in Dearborn, Michigan eagerly awaits the exhibition from February 3rd until April 29, 2007.
The Eames Lounge Chair became an icon of 20th century design almost
immediately after it was introduced to the public on Arlene Francis' NBC
Home show in 1956. The leather-upholstered, rosewood-veneered Eames Chair
and matching ottoman represent the culmination of Charles and Ray Eames'
efforts to create comfortable and handsome lounge seating by using
production techniques combined with handcraftsmanship. Long recognized as
pioneers in the field of molded plywood, the couple symbolized a new era
of modern design and lifestyle for a wider American audience. Charles
Eames said his goal for the chair was "the warm, receptive look of a
wellused first baseman's mitt."
The exhibition is made possible by Herman Miller, Inc. and marks the Lounge Chairs' production 50 years ago for the Zeeland, Michigan based company. Included also in the exhibit are selections of molded plywood furniture produced by Ray and Charles Eames in the 1940s as well as molded plywood sculpture created during the same period. Unpublished and little-known drawings by Ray Eames from the Library of The Henry Ford To Host The Eames Chair Exhibition Congress will compliment the three- dimensional studies. Selections of graphic designs by the Eames Office and early advertising are included to indicate how the chair was presented to the public. A full-scale "exploded" version of the Chair and enlarged period photographs dramatize how it was manufactured and assembled.
The traveling exhibitions' centerpiece is a 1956 Lounge Chair from the collection of the Grand Rapids Art Museum.
D.J. Depree, the first president of Herman Miller, formerly owned this chair. DuPree maintained a life-long professional and personal relationship with Charles and Ray Eames. Other lenders to the exhibition include: the Library of Congress; the Eames Office Archives; the Eames Foundation; Cranbrook; The Henry Ford; and the Herman Miller Archives.
A 200 page hardcover book titled "The Eames Lounge Chair: An Icon in Modern Design," published by Merrell Press in London, is available at most bookstores and online for about $40.00.
