HAY x Eames

Blaibach Concert Hall with the Wire Chair by Charles & Ray Eames <3

Françoise Hardy in her Paris apartment, ca. 1970, photo by Michael Holtz

charles and ray eames

Charles (born on this day, June 18th in 1907) and Ray Eames photographed by Julius Shulman in their home in Pacific Palisades, 1968.

Herman Miller office furniture - 1960.

SX-70 (1972) made for Polaroid Corporation by the Office of Charles And Ray Eames

670 Lounge Chair in green and rosewood | Charles and Ray Eames for Herman Miller

CHARLES AND RAY EAMES

HOUSE OF CARDS, 1952

Living with Modern Classics, 2000

the sexiest product alive

Ana de Armas on the Lounge chair Charles & Ray Eames, 1956

That great design isn’t necessarily conceived as a stroke of genius of a single individual nowadays is a commonplace. Back in the day this was different and the focus often lay on the single genius that appeared as the sole author, a circumstance that knowingly omitted the team work behind it. This also holds true for Charles and Ray Eames whose office included numerous employees who made major contributions to the Eames’ output.  Lifting the lid on them and adding their biographies is one of the more valuable aspects of Marylin & John Neuhart’s opus magnum „The Story of Eames Furniture“, published in 2010 by @gestalten, a weighty two volume tome of 800+ pages. Roughly two thirds of it provide an incredibly detailed walkthrough of the complete Eames furniture, supplemented with texts, drawings, photos and other archival material elucidating the design process, variations and even marketing efforts. The result is a work catalogue for the true connoisseur since no detail is left out and each person involved receives his/her due appreciation. In view of this attention to detail it certainly is surprising that the index is quite selective and unintuitive and thus doesn’t help in quickly tracing a particular design. The second disappointment is Marilyn Neuhart’s biographies  of Charles and Ray Eames that not only lacks critical distance but at times is outright mean, especially with regards to Ray’s personality and contribution which are degraded to decorating and difficulties with aging. Although one might welcome a less hagiographic and more realistic account of the couples’ personalities Neuhart really lacks critical distance.

Accordingly the publication leaves an ambiguous impression since the core of it, the comprehensive work catalogue, is both highly valuable and at times just overly detailed. On the other hand the Neuhart’s finally break the anonymity of the Eames’ employees while at the same time trying to strip Charles and Ray off their nimbus. It probably is up to other researchers to pick up the undoubtedly valuable information of the book and include them in a more balanced account.