Alexander Girard Wall Panel
View Similar Items
Alexander Girard Wall Panel
About the Item
- Creator:Alexander Girard (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 47 in (119.38 cm)Width: 61 in (154.94 cm)
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1972
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:Chicago, IL
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU84741209208
Alexander Girard
The director of design for the textiles department at Herman Miller, Inc., from 1952 to 1973, mid-century modern visionary Alexander Girard introduced bright, bouncy colors to upholstery and drapery fabrics, created jaunty graphics for marketing and advertising materials and devised motifs for everything from textiles to ceramics based on his true love: folk art from cultures around the globe.
The son of an American mother and an Italian father, Girard (known as Sandro to his friends) was born in New York City in 1907 but raised in Florence. He came from a creative family — his father was a master woodworker — and Girard began drawing and making his own playthings as a youngster. He had a fascination for nativity crèche tableaux, an enthusiasm that likely was the germ for his later interest in folk art. He went on to earn degrees in architecture at schools in both Rome and London before returning to New York in the 1930s and working in interior design.
By the 1940s, he and his wife, Susan, had moved to Detroit, where Girard was head of design for Detrola, a firm specializing in tabletop radios. The elegant bentwood housings that he developed for the devices won him acclaim, but, more importantly, at Detrola he met Charles Eames. The two became lifelong friends, and it was Eames who drew Girard toward Herman Miller, which had no dedicated textile department until Girard arrived, and most of its furniture was upholstered in mundane, “safe” hues. Girard changed all that, introducing fabrics in vivid shades of red, orange, yellow and blue. His early designs incorporated geometric motifs — stripes, circles, square, triangles and such. But toward the end of the 1950s he began to introduce folk art themes into his designs.
Girard did not collect important or expensive folk pieces. Rather he was drawn to simple objects such as handmade toys, figurines and models of animals, buildings and plants. The fabrics that emerged had whimsical, lighthearted motifs depicting, for example, angels, children, birds and flowers. Toward the end of his term with Herman Miller, in an effort to achieve what he termed “aesthetic functionalism,” Girard produced a group of what he called “Environmental Enrichment” pieces — silk-screened cotton panels emblazoned with various graphic designs, from bold geometric patterns to folk art themes. They were meant to divide spaces in offices or the home in lieu of walls while simultaneously functioning as art. Today, panels of vintage Girard upholstery textiles have become premium collectibles. The designer's furniture is less well known, primarily because most of it was created for private commissions.
Girard’s most lasting contribution may be his folk art collection. He and Susan had begun gathering pieces shortly after their marriage, in 1936. By the 1970s, they had amassed the world’s largest collection of cross-cultural folk art, composed of more than 100,000 pieces from around the world. The Girards donated their holdings to the Museum of International Folk Art, in Santa Fe (where they had moved in the ’60s), quintupling the institution’s collection, and a new wing — named for the Girards — had to be built to hold it.
Find a striking range of vintage Alexander Girard seating, tables, textiles and other furnishings on 1stDibs.
- Marcello Fantoni Wall PlaqueBy Marcello FantoniLocated in Chicago, ILMarcello Fantoni rare studio wall plaque. Marked: Fantoni, Italy.Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Wall-mounted Sculptures
MaterialsCeramic
- Clyde Burt Ceramic Wall ArtBy Clyde BurtLocated in Chicago, ILClyde Burt abstract ceramic wall relief in glazed stoneware with wooden frame. Signed to front: [C. BURT]. American, circa 1965.Category
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Wall-mounted Sculptures
MaterialsWood, Ceramic
$14,700 - Clyde Burt House Shaped Ceramic Wall PlaqueBy Clyde BurtLocated in Chicago, ILClyde Burt house shaped ceramic wall relief in glazed stoneware with turned wood exterior sides and wooden frame. Signed to front: [C. BURT]. American, circa 1965.Category
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Wall-mounted Sculptures
MaterialsWood, Ceramic
- Wall Sculpture by FrittsBy Ron FrittsLocated in Chicago, ILArtist Ron Fritts wall sculpture; three vertical half spheres pierce stretched vinyl wrapped surface with stripped details. Signed Fritts lower right corner.Category
Vintage 1970s American Decorative Art
MaterialsChrome
$4,389 - Josef Albers "Formulation : Articulation" Portfolio II, Folder 25By Josef AlbersLocated in Chicago, ILJOSEF ALBERS (1888 – 1976) "Formulation : Articulation" Portfolio II, Folder 25 Screen-printed geometric composition printed by Ives Stillman, Inc., New Haven, CT. From the set of 12...Category
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Prints
MaterialsPaper
- Josef Albers "Formulation : Articulation" Portfolio II, Folder 23By Josef AlbersLocated in Chicago, ILJOSEF ALBERS (1888 – 1976) "Formulation : Articulation" Portfolio II, Folder 23 Screen-printed geometric composition printed by Ives Stillman, Inc., New Haven, CT. From the set of 12...Category
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Prints
MaterialsPaper
- Iconic "Love" Environmental Enrichment Panel by Alexander Girard, 1972By Alexander GirardLocated in Sylacauga, ALAn original and iconic screenprint on linen by Alexander Girard for Herman Miller. Newly framed in a modern beech floater frame.Category
Vintage 1970s American Modern Prints
MaterialsLinen, Wood
- Alexander Girard & George Nelson Inc. Wall Mounted Vanity, Model 1030By George Nelson, Alexander GirardLocated in Seattle, WAAn unusual and rare wall mounted vanity from the 1964 Herman Miller accessory line to the CSS storage system. A collaborative design by Alexander Girard...Category
Vintage 1960s North American Mid-Century Modern Shelves and Wall Cabinets
MaterialsAluminum
- Contemporary Walnut Veneer Interior Hang Wall Panel - Wall Panel NAMIBy Hachi CollectionsLocated in Brooklyn, USLead Time 6 weeks - 8 weeks [made to order] Materials : Veneer Walnut on MDF / Aluminum Z clip on Back Size[inch] : H 96x W 15” x T=1-1/4”[Joint Each Pieces] Available in : cust...Category
2010s American Arts and Crafts Decorative Art
MaterialsWalnut
- Contemporary Maple Veneer Interior Hang Wall Panel - Wall Panel NAMIBy Hachi CollectionsLocated in Brooklyn, USLead time 6 weeks - 8 weeks [made to order] Materials : Veneer maple on MDF / aluminum Z clip on back Size [inch] : H 96x W 15” x T=1-1/4”[joint each pieces] Available in...Category
2010s American Arts and Crafts Decorative Art
MaterialsMaple
- Intertwined Driftwood Wall PanelLocated in Dallas, TXDramatic and textured, these large driftwood panels are made from the organic shapes of twisted driftwood. Wiring at back make it easy to mount on the wall for a one-of-a-kind contem...Category
Vintage 1970s European Organic Modern Decorative Art
MaterialsDriftwood
- Crane Copper Wall Decoration Wall Panel Plaque Vintage, 1970sLocated in Nuernberg, DEA beautiful, vintage copper crane themed wall decor. It would make a beautiful wall decoration in a seating or living area. Vibrant colors and excellent craftsmanship. Made in the 19...Category
Vintage 1970s German Mid-Century Modern Decorative Art
MaterialsCopper