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Why was Eero Saarinen a modern architect?
1 Answer
Eero Saarinen is considered a modern architect for a number of reasons. An innovative merging of the International Style and the influence of Frank Lloyd Wright can be found in his acclaimed building projects and monuments. He worked with steel and concrete, just as his modernist peers had, and the neo-futuristic forms that characterize his architecture are those commonly associated with modernism.
Through his work as an architect and designer, 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, Dulles International Airport in Virginia and the Gateway Arch in St. Louis, Missouri.
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.
Like all modernist designers of the mid-century era, Saarinen was interested in the new technology and new and venturesome applications for materials that became widely available for the production of domestic goods in the postwar era. Thanks to Florence Knoll, a pioneering designer in her own right, his famous designs for seating and tables, created during the 1940s and 1950s, were manufactured by Knoll, which was a prominent influence in the rise of modern design in the United States.
Find vintage Eero Saarinen furniture for sale on 1stDibs.
Through his work as an architect and designer, 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, Dulles International Airport in Virginia and the Gateway Arch in St. Louis, Missouri.
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.
Like all modernist designers of the mid-century era, Saarinen was interested in the new technology and new and venturesome applications for materials that became widely available for the production of domestic goods in the postwar era. Thanks to Florence Knoll, a pioneering designer in her own right, his famous designs for seating and tables, created during the 1940s and 1950s, were manufactured by Knoll, which was a prominent influence in the rise of modern design in the United States.
Find vintage Eero Saarinen furniture for sale on 1stDibs.
1stDibs ExpertMarch 31, 2024
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Shop for Eero Saarinen Furniture on 1stDibs
Eero Saarinen Oval Marble Tulip Dining Table by Knoll 1970s
By Eero Saarinen, Knoll
Located in Aachen, NW
Fine and very nice "small" oval tulip dining table by Eero Saarinen for Knoll International.
The Calacatta marble has an amazing structure and this example comes in a very good cond...
Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Dining Room Tables
Materials
Marble, Aluminum
Early Vintage Eero Saarinen Tulip Table, Carrara Marble
By Knoll, Eero Saarinen
Located in Chicago, IL
Early Vintage Eero Saarinen Tulip Table, Carrara Marble with Cast Aluminum Base
Signed underside Knoll
Dimensions:
28.25" high
78" wide
48" deep
Category
Vintage 1950s American Dining Room Tables
Materials
Carrara Marble
Eero Saarinen for Knoll 'Executive' Armchairs in Leather and Oak
By Knoll, Eero Saarinen
Located in Waalwijk, NL
Eero Saarinen for Knoll International, dining chair, model 71, oak, patinated leather, United States, design 1948, later production
An organic shaped pair of chairs designed by Eero...
Category
Vintage 1940s American Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
Materials
Oak, Leather
Eero Saarinen for Knoll 'Executive' Armchair in Beige Creme Fabric and Oak
By Knoll, Eero Saarinen
Located in Waalwijk, NL
Eero Saarinen for Knoll International, armchair, oak, fabric, United States, design 1948, later production
An organic shaped armchair designed by Eero Saarinen. A fluid, sculptural ...
Category
Vintage 1940s American Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
Materials
Fabric, Oak
Eero Saarinen for Knoll 'Executive' Chair in Beige Creme Fabric and Oak
By Knoll, Eero Saarinen
Located in Waalwijk, NL
Eero Saarinen for Knoll International, dining chair, oak, fabric, United States, design 1948, later production
An organic shaped chair designed by Eero Saarinen. A fluid, sculptural...
Category
Vintage 1940s American Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
Materials
Fabric, Oak
Eero Saarinen for Knoll 'Executive' Armchair in Beige Creme Fabric and Oak
By Eero Saarinen, Knoll
Located in Waalwijk, NL
Eero Saarinen for Knoll International, dining chair, model 71, oak, fabric, United States, design 1948, later production
An organic shaped chair designed by Eero Saarinen. A fluid, ...
Category
Vintage 1940s American Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
Materials
Fabric, Oak