July 1961 Playboy F/T Masters of Mid-Century Design, Eames Bertoia Saarinen
View Similar Items
July 1961 Playboy F/T Masters of Mid-Century Design, Eames Bertoia Saarinen
About the Item
- Creator:
- Dimensions:Height: 0.1 in (2.54 mm)Width: 11 in (27.94 cm)Depth: 8.5 in (21.59 cm)
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:July 1961
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:BROOKLYN, NY
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU179327383233
Eero Saarinen
Through his work as an architect and designer, Eero Saarinen was a prime mover in the introduction of modernism into the American mainstream. Particularly affecting were the organic, curvilinear forms seen in Saarinen’s furniture and his best-known structures: the gull-winged TWA Flight Center at John F. Kennedy airport in New York (opened 1962), Dulles International Airport in Virginia (1962) and the Gateway Arch in St. Louis, Missouri (1965).
Saarinen had a peerless modernist pedigree. His father, Eliel Saarinen, was an eminent Finnish architect who in 1932 became the first head of the Cranbrook Academy of Art in suburban Detroit. The school became synonymous with progressive design and decorative arts in the United States, and while studying there the younger Saarinen met and befriended several luminaries of mid-century modernism, among them Harry Bertoia and Charles and Ray Eames.
At Cranbrook, Saarinen also met Florence Schust Knoll, who, as director of her husband Hans Knoll's eponymous furniture company, would put Saarinen’s best designs into production. These include the Grasshopper chair, designed in 1946 and so named because its angled bentwood frame resembles the insect; the Tulip chair (1957), a flower-shaped fiberglass shell mounted on a cast-aluminum pedestal; and the lushly contoured Womb lounge chair and ottoman (1948). In his furniture as in his architecture, the keynotes of Eero Saarinen’s designs are simplicity, strength and grace.
Find vintage Eero Saarinen tables, chairs and other furniture on 1stDibs.
Charles Eames
The legacy of Charles Eames looms large in design. In partnership with his wife, Ray, Charles was at the forefront of pioneering innovation in the use of molded plywood for furniture making. The Eameses’ cheerful and inviting work has endured among the most important advancements in the history of 20th-century design.
Together, visionary mid-century modern duo Charles and Ray Eames introduced a wide range of renowned furniture to the postwar market, including iconic designs such as the Eames lounge chair and ottoman, the wildly colorful birch plywood-and-plastic-laminate Eames storage unit, the Eames compact sofa and more. The designers were trailblazers in molded plywood furniture and brought lively organic form to metal and plastic.
Charles Eames studied architecture at Washington University in St. Louis. He traveled to Mexico and Europe, and experienced firsthand the work of designer-architects Le Corbusier and Ludwig Mies van der Rohe. In 1930, upon returning to Missouri, Eames opened an architecture practice with Charles M. Gray but later moved to Michigan in 1938. He received a fellowship at Cranbrook Academy of Art, which would become a breeding ground for the stars of mid-century design. Eames continued his architecture studies at Cranbrook and also taught in the design department.
In 1940, Eames met his future wife, artist and designer Beatrice Alexandra "Ray" Kaiser, who was studying at Cranbrook under Abstract Expressionist painter Hans Hofmann. Charles teamed up with another Cranbrook instructor, Finnish-American designer Eero Saarinen, to explore the possibilities of plywood for use in furniture design.
With support from Ray, Charles and Eero created chairs and case pieces and submitted them to the “Organic Design in Home Furnishings” competition at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City — among them was the groundbreaking organic Side chair made of molded plywood with maple legs. It was upholstered by Heywood-Wakefield. This exhibition is considered critical by many to the popularization of what is known as mid-century modernism. Eames and Saarinen won first place for their submissions to the competition.
Charles and Ray were married in 1941 and soon after moved to Los Angeles, California, and lived in an apartment building designed by architect Richard Neutra. Charles worked on set design at MGM, and at night, in a humble workshop they established in the guest bedroom, he and Ray experimented with molded plywood on a homemade device they called the “Kazaam!” machine. In 1942, the couple won a U.S. Navy contract to create molded plywood leg splints that would be used to support wartime medical efforts. Soon, the Evans Product Company was making the splints and the Eameses opened the famed Eames Office and studio.
The Eameses’ innovative use of wire framing, molded plywood and applied fabrics caught the attention of many notable figures in interior design and architecture, including George Nelson, director of design at Herman Miller, a now-legendary modern furniture manufacturer. The company enlisted the Eameses’ talents and was eventually home to the couple’s classic pieces such as the Eames DCW chair and the DCM chair.
Find an extensive array of vintage Charles Eames seating, tables and case pieces on 1stDibs.
- Rare and Important Midcentury Bench/Cabinets- Eames and Saarinen -Organic DesignBy Charles Eames, Eero SaarinenLocated in BROOKLYN, NYVery Rare modular case pieces conceived by young Charles Eames and Eero Saarinen for the Organic Design Competition at the MoMA. Circa 1940. Produced by Red Lion Furniture Company. ...Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Cabinets
MaterialsMahogany
- Mid-Century Saarinen Turned Wood Plates and ChargerBy Eero SaarinenLocated in BROOKLYN, NYNice grouping of five Saarinen plates. Turned birch plywood. Made in Finland by Keuruu. Smaller plates 11.75" Larger plate 17.75''.Category
Vintage 1960s Finnish Mid-Century Modern Dinner Plates
MaterialsWood, Plywood
- Mid-Century Modern Knoll 3’ Round Tulip Coffee Table Walnut by Eero SaarinenBy Knoll, Eero SaarinenLocated in BROOKLYN, NYMid-Century Modern knoll 3’ round tulip coffee table walnut Laminate top. Base is heavy and has has original off white paint. Has original felt ring around base to protect the floor....Category
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables
MaterialsSteel
- Mid-Century Modern Knoll oval Tulip Coffee Table white laminate by Eero SaarinenBy Knoll, Eero SaarinenLocated in BROOKLYN, NYMid-Century Modern knoll oval tulip coffee table white Laminate top. Base is very heavy and has has original off white paint. Has original threaded center for base. Numbered on base....Category
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables
MaterialsSteel
- Mid-Century Slat Bench by Harry Bertoia for KnollBy Knoll, Harry BertoiaLocated in BROOKLYN, NYWonderful mid-century slat bench or coffee table by Harry Bertoia for Knoll, 1950s. Stained ash. Early original Bowtie Label (Knoll Associates) that predates Knoll International. Has...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Benches
MaterialsSteel
- Set of 4 mid century tulip swivel stools style of KnollBy Knoll, Eero SaarinenLocated in BROOKLYN, NYSet of 4 mid century tulip swivel stools style of Knoll. Great vintage set with metal tapered bases and rotating brown vinyl upholstery. Great solid...Category
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Stools
MaterialsSteel
- Bertoia Foundation Sterling Silver Gong Style Pendant Designed by Harry BertoiaBy Harry BertoiaLocated in New York, NYThis is a hand-hammered reproduction of a rare design that Harry Bertoia did at the Bertoia Studio in the 1970s, Bertoia toyed with creating a complete line of jewelry since the 1940...Category
21st Century and Contemporary American Mid-Century Modern Collectible Je...
MaterialsSterling Silver
- Christies July 2004 Old Master & 19th Century Drawings, 1st EdLocated in valatie, NYChristies July 2004 Old Master & 19th Century Drawings. Published by Christie's Auctioneers, London, 2004. 1st Ed softcover auction catalog. 205 lots, 104pp. Illustrated in color artists: Abbate Aertsen Antwerp School; Arthois van Asch van Balen Baziray Beerstraten Bellucci Berentz van Blarenberghe van Bloemen de Bloot Bock. Bolognese School Bonito After Borch van Borssom Boschi Boucher Boudewijns Brakenburgh Bramer Bredael Bruandet Brueghel Cagnacci del Cairo Calraet Cano Caravaggio Carre Casissa. Catalan School: Ceresa de Champaigne van Cleve Coecke van Aelst Colombel Cossiers Courtois Crespi Cunningham Cuyp van Diepenbeeck Dietrich Dughet Dujardin. Dutch School: van Dyck El Greco van Falens. Flemish School and Florentine School: Floris de la Fosse Francken. French School: Gael Gandolfi Geldorp Ghisolfi Gianni Giovane Giovanni van Goyen Greuze Guardi Guercino Hardime Heeremans Heinz van Herp Hobbema Horemans van Huysum. Italian School: Joli Kalf Kauffman Key Lagoor de Lairesse Lancret Lanfranco Le Sueur Ledoux van Loo Lorrain Luini Luti Magnasco Manetti Marieschi Master of the Langmatt Foundation Views Master of the Parrot Mazzoni Metsu van Mierevelt...Category
21st Century and Contemporary English Books
MaterialsPaper
- Bose 901 Series Speakers On Eero Saarinen Tulip BasesBy bose, Eero SaarinenLocated in Brooklyn, NYPair of newly finished and upholstered, mid-century modern, Bose 901 series speakers on tulip base stands designed by the Finnish-American designer and architect Eero Saarinen, circa...Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Musical Instruments
MaterialsMetal
- An inscribed copy of Harry Bertoia's "Sculptor"By Harry BertoiaLocated in Toronto, OntarioA nice inscribed copy of June Kompass Nelson's book "Harry Bertoia , Sculptor"Category
Vintage 1970s American Books
MaterialsPaper
- Original Eames Giant House of CardsBy Charles and Ray EamesLocated in Brooklyn, NYHighly collectible, 1950s Eames Giant House of Cards for Tigrett Enterprises. This scarce first-edition deck contains the original 20 large cards ...Category
Vintage 1950s Mid-Century Modern Games
MaterialsPaper
- Limited Edition Sterling Silver Gong Style Pendant Designed by Harry BertoiaBy Harry BertoiaLocated in New York, NYThis pendant design was originally hand tooled in the 1970s at the Bertoia shop in Bally, Pennsylvania. Bertoia contemplated a complete line of jewelry since the 1940s pieces had bee...Category
2010s American Collectible Jewelry
MaterialsSterling Silver