CHARLES AND RAY EAMES: Pioneers of Mid-Century Modernism

It is generally recognised that the Eames Chair constituted the first major development in chair design since the Breuer chairs of 1928. After this there followed in a bewildering succession of toys, films, scientific researches, lecture tours, specially exhibits and three further generations of chairs, and a number of awards and citations. The creative duo Charles Eames (1907-1978) and Ray Kaiser Eames (1912-1988) transformed the visual character of America. Though best known for their furniture, the husband-and-wife team were also forerunners in architecture, textile design, photography, and film. The Eameses' work defined a new, multifunctional modernity, exemplary for its integration of craft and design, as well as for the use of modern materials, notably plywood and plastics. The Eames Lounge Chair Wood, designed with molded plywood technology, became a defining furniture piece of the 20th century, while the couple's contribution to the Case Study Houses project not only made inventive use of industrial materials but also developed an adaptable floor plan of multipurpose spaces which would become a hallmark of postwar modern architecture. From the couple's earliest furniture experiments to their seminal short film Powers of Ten, this book covers all the aspects of the illustrious Eames repertoire and has case study houses, Kwikset House, Max De Pree House, the lounge chair and Ottoman, the IBM Pavilion, and a short chronology of life and work. With rough sketches and architectural plans and conceptual conceptual diagrams of the design process. 21 x 26cm, 96 pages, packed with lovely colour photos. New from Taschen.
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