Limited-Edition Eames Molded Plywood Elephant
View Similar Items
Limited-Edition Eames Molded Plywood Elephant
About the Item
- Creator:Charles and Ray Eames (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 16.5 in (41.91 cm)Width: 16.25 in (41.28 cm)Depth: 31 in (78.74 cm)
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (In the Style Of)
- Materials and Techniques:Plywood,Molded
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:2007
- Condition:
- Seller Location:Barre, VT
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU7598231635612
Charles and Ray Eames
Charles Eames and Ray Eames were the embodiment of the inventiveness, energy and optimism at the heart of mid-century modern American design, and have been recognized as the most influential designers of the 20th century.
As furniture designers, filmmakers, artists, textile and graphic designers and even toy and puzzle makers, the Eameses were a visionary and effective force for the notion that design should be an agent of positive change. They are the happy, ever-curious, ever-adventurous faces of modernism.
Charles (1907–78) studied architecture and industrial design. Ray (née Beatrice Alexandra Kaiser, 1912–88) was an artist, who studied under the Abstract Expressionist painter Hans Hofmann. They met in 1940 at the Cranbrook Academy of Art in suburban Detroit (the legendary institution where Charles also met his frequent collaborator Eero Saarinen and the artist and designer Harry Bertoia) and married the next year.
His technical skills and her artistic flair were wonderfully complementary. They moved to Los Angeles in 1941, where Charles worked on set design for MGM. In the evenings at their apartment, they experimented with molded plywood using a handmade heat-and-pressurization device they called the “Kazam!” machine. The next year, they won a contract from the U.S. Navy for lightweight plywood leg splints for wounded servicemen — they are coveted collectibles today; more so those that Ray used to make sculptures.
The Navy contract allowed Charles to open a professional studio, and the attention-grabbing plywood furniture the firm produced prompted George Nelson, the director of design of the furniture-maker Herman Miller Inc., to enlist Charles and (by association, if not by contract) Ray in 1946. Some of the first Eames items to emerge from Herman Miller are now classics: the LCW, or Lounge Chair Wood, and the DCM, or Dining Chair Metal, supported by tubular steel.
The Eameses eagerly embraced new technology and materials, and one of their peculiar talents was to imbue their supremely modern design with references to folk traditions. Their Wire chair group of the 1950s, for example, was inspired by basket weaving techniques. The populist notion of “good design for all” drove their molded fiberglass chair series that same decade, and also produced the organic-form, ever-delightful La Chaise. In 1956 the Eames lounge chair and ottoman appeared — the supremely comfortable plywood-base-and-leather-upholstery creation that will likely live in homes as long as there are people with good taste and sense.
Charles Eames once said, “The role of the designer is that of a very good, thoughtful host anticipating the needs of his guests.” For very good collectors and thoughtful interior designers, a piece of design by the Eameses, the closer produced to original conception the better, is almost de rigueur — for its beauty and comfort, and not least as a tribute to the creative legacy and enduring influence of Charles and Ray Eames.
The collection of original Eames furniture on 1stDibs includes chairs, tables, case pieces and other items.
- Iconic Legacy: Eames Wood Elephant Stool for Vitra, circa 2000By Charles and Ray Eames, VitraLocated in Barcelona, BarcelonaImmerse yourself in the timeless design legacy of Ray and Charles Eames with the iconic "Eames Wood Elephant Stool" created for Vitra around 2000. Originally designed in 1945, this piece is a testament to the Eames' pioneering work in the 1940s, where they dedicated years to perfecting the technique of molding laminated wood into intricate three-dimensional forms. A remarkable piece of history, the Eames Wood Elephant Stool was part of the initial designs that emerged from this groundbreaking process. Its two-piece structure, featuring multiple closed curves, presented a technical challenge, and although it never entered production, it remains a symbol of the Eames' innovative spirit. One of the prototypes found its way to Lucia Eames, Charles' daughter, as a gift when she was just 14 years old. Later, it was lent to the Museum of Modern Art in New York for an exhibition in 1946, and today, it is still held by the Eames family. This Vitra-manufactured Eames Elephant Stool...Category
Early 2000s German Mid-Century Modern Stools
MaterialsPlywood
- Plopp Mini Stool in Polished Copper 'Limited Edition', ZietaBy ZietaLocated in Geneve, CHPlopp mini stool in polished copper (Limited Edition), Zieta Dimensions: Height 19.69 in. x diameter 13.78 in. Height 50 cm x diameter 35 cm Material...Category
2010s Polish Organic Modern Abstract Sculptures
MaterialsCopper
- Plopp Mini Stool in Polished Copper 'Limited Edition' by ZietaBy ZietaLocated in Geneve, CHPlopp Mini Stool in Polished Copper 'Limited Edition' by Zieta Dimensions: D 25 x H 38 cm Material: Polished copper. About "Plopp" stool by Zieta, g...Category
2010s Polish Post-Modern Abstract Sculptures
MaterialsCopper
- Frog Seat, Black Lacquer by Robert Kuo, Hand Repousse, Limited EditionBy Robert KuoLocated in Los Angeles, CAFrog seat Mila lacquer Hand repoussé Copper base Limited edition Lacquer is a technique that dates back to the Shang dynasty, circa 1600-1100 B.C. These piec...Category
2010s Stools
MaterialsCopper
- Set of 3 Molded Plywood Curule Stools or OttomansBy Thonet, Norman ChernerLocated in Philadelphia, PASet of 3 molded plywood and walnut curule stools or ottomans. Newly refinished frames with their original Brown vinyl Covers. Classic Roman Form reinvented in a Modern Fashion. Very ...Category
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Stools
MaterialsWalnut, Plywood
$1,750 Sale Price / set30% Off - Ray and Charles Eames Herman Miller Molded Shell Bar Stool Chair Kelly GreenBy Charles and Ray Eames, Herman MillerLocated in Philadelphia, PAListed for sale is a 2020 production Herman Miller Eames molded side shell chair with bar stool base. This example has not been used in a home or office...Category
2010s American Modern Stools
MaterialsMetal
Recently Viewed
View AllRead More
The 21 Most Popular Mid-Century Modern Chairs
You know the designs, now get the stories about how they came to be.
A Guide to Herman Miller’s Most Iconic Furniture
The prolific manufacturer has partnered with many of the world’s top designers since opening its doors in 1923. Here are some of the company’s greatest hits, which helped transform the American home and office.