“Geometry” Environmental Enrichment Panel by Alexander Girard, 1971
View Similar Items
“Geometry” Environmental Enrichment Panel by Alexander Girard, 1971
About the Item
- Creator:Herman Miller (Manufacturer),Alexander Girard (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 57.75 in (146.69 cm)Width: 22 in (55.88 cm)Depth: 1.5 in (3.81 cm)
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1971
- Condition:
- Seller Location:BROOKLYN, NY
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU1793222960852
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.
Herman Miller
No other business of its kind did more than the Herman Miller Furniture Company to introduce modern design into American homes. Working with legendary designers such as Charles and Ray Eames, George Nelson and Alexander Girard, the Zeeland, Michigan-based firm fostered some of the boldest expressions of what we now call mid-century modern style. In doing so, Herman Miller produced some of the most beautiful, iconic and, one can even say, noblest furniture ever.
Founded in 1923, Herman Miller was originally known for grand historicist bedroom suites: heavily ornamented wood furniture that appealed to a high-minded, wealthier clientele. The company — named for its chief financial backer — began to suffer in the early 1930s as the Great Depression hit, and D.J. De Pree, the company’s CEO, feared bankruptcy. In 1932, aid came in the form of Gilbert Rohde, a self-taught furniture designer who had traveled widely in Europe, absorbing details of the Art Deco movement and other modernist influences. After persuading De Pree that the growing middle-class required smaller, lighter household furnishings, Rohde set a new course for Herman Miller, creating sleek chairs, tables and cabinetry that were the essence of the Streamline Moderne style.
Rohde died suddenly in 1944. The following year, De Pree turned to George Nelson, an architect who had written widely about modern furniture design. Under Nelson’s leadership, Herman Miller would embrace new technologies and materials and audacious biomorphic forms. Some of the pieces the company produced are now emblems of 20th century American design, including the Eames lounge chair and ottoman and Nelson’s Marshmallow sofa and Coconut chair. As you can see on 1stDibs, such instantly recognizable furnishings have become timeless — staples of a modernist décor; striking, offbeat notes in traditional environments.
- Alexander Girard Table for The Dragon Peak HouseBy Eero Saarinen, Alexander Girard, Herman MillerLocated in BROOKLYN, NYRare collectors item designed by Alexander Girard. Dining table from Dragon Peak House. This table is one of four examples created for the Dragon Peak House. Features four folding ...Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Tables
MaterialsSteel
- One of a Kind Midcentury Side Table Designed by Alexander GirardBy Alexander GirardLocated in BROOKLYN, NYOne of a kind Midcentury side table designed by Alexander Girard. handmade terrazzo table with inlay on steel frame legs. Features Girards early signature ( triangle, square, circle)...Category
Vintage 1940s American Mid-Century Modern Tables
MaterialsSteel
- Alexander Girard Carolus Magnus Plates, The Miller HouseBy Georg Jensen, Alexander GirardLocated in BROOKLYN, NYAlexander Girard created these plates for the Miller House, one of the most iconic examples of Mid-Century designs. These are original with very little use and in amazing condition. ...Category
Vintage 1950s German Mid-Century Modern Dinner Plates
MaterialsCeramic
- Midcentury C Jere Brutalist Style Wall Art Farm and Tree Scene for Artisan HouseBy C. Jeré Artisan House, Curtis JeréLocated in BROOKLYN, NYBrutalist style wall hanging by C. Jere for Artisan House. Torch cut and welded with a patinated brass and gold finish. Excellent original, unaltered condition. Signed "C. Jere" M...Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Decorative Art
MaterialsBrass
- Mid-Century Modern Watercolor Abstract Leaf Artwork Painting Framed Colorful #3Located in BROOKLYN, NYBeautiful colorful Mid-Century Modern 1977 watercolor abstract Leaf artwork painting #3 maple frame colorful. Wired on back to be hung horizontal. Vintage condition. Neil R Anderson...Category
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Paintings
MaterialsMaple, Paint
- Mid-Century Modern Watercolor Abstract Leaf Artwork Painting Framed Colorful #2Located in BROOKLYN, NYBeautiful colorful Mid-Century Modern 1977 watercolor abstract Leaf artwork painting #2 maple frame colorful. Wired on back to be hung horizontal. Vintage condition. Neil R Anderson...Category
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Paintings
MaterialsMaple, Paint
- "Splotchy" Textile by Alexander Calder for Laverne OriginalsBy Laverne International, Alexander CalderLocated in Pawtucket, RI"Splotchy" textile by Alexander Calder for Laverne Originals. Hand printed on linen. 26 ft. available The innovative husband-and-wife team Erwin and Estelle Laverne, specialized...Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Tapestries
MaterialsFabric
- 1950s Barney Reid Screen Printed Fabric PanelBy Barney ReidLocated in San Diego, CAScreened printed fabric panel with stylized abstract figures by Barney Reid. Retains original tag as pictured. Acquired directly from the artist ...Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Tapestries
MaterialsFabric
- Framed Large Scale Antique Embroidered PanelLocated in Bridgeport, CTA striking framed collection of Antique Beadwork. Antwerp label on verso. Group of individual antique neoclassical embroidered pieces- swags with fruits, bows, a flaming heart with s...Category
Antique 19th Century Belgian Belle Époque Tapestries
MaterialsFabric, Wood, Beads, Glass, Ribbon
- 17th Century Venetian Embroidery PanelLocated in Atlanta, GAA stunning and monumental 17th century stump work - Embroidery Panel from Venice, Italy. Exquisitely crafted with silks and metallic thread and beading - ho...Category
Antique 17th Century Italian Tapestries
MaterialsMetallic Thread
- Attractive Late 19th Century Needlework PanelLocated in Lymington, HampshireDepicts a fanciful scene of children returning form the harvest in an idyllic rural landscape. The leaders are playing pipes with a dog frisking at their feet, while the remaining pa...Category
Antique 1890s French Tapestries
MaterialsFabric
- Miguel Cisterna, "Tête, " Embroidered Fabric Panel, France, 2020By Miguel CisternaLocated in New York, NYThis panel was hand-embroidered by French artist Miguel Cisterna, and features the profile of a of woman.Category
2010s French Decorative Art
MaterialsFabric
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.