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The Work of Charles and Ray Eames: A Legacy of Invention
Charles and Ray Eames gave shape to America's 20th century. From the 1940s to the late 1970s, the Los Angeles-based husband-and-wife team designed furniture, buildings, toys, films, graphics, exhibitions, and books that aimed to improve society--not only functionally, but culturally and intellectually as well. This title includes six generously illustrated essays that examine the couple's projects in the contexts of science, corporate patronage, politics, and modern design. 200 illustration, 150 in full color.
204 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1997
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
October 9, 2021
"The Work of Charles and Ray Eames: A Legacy of Invention" is a collection of essays associated with a museum exhibit including both their design works and paper archives.
There are many ways in which this volume is successful. These essays manage to take different snapshots across a very wide-ranging career, including but not limited to furniture design, architecture, interior design, film-making, and exhibition design, covering each roughly in historical turn. It also goes some way to untangle their respective contributions to that work, with one of the stand-out essays showing Ray Kieser's pre-Eames work and successfully extrapolating what that added to their overall work.
On the downside, the format of essays with different focus gives a scattershot impression of the work. Though their office is frequently mentioned, and many collaborators were available, one never feels one understand how their design process actually works and develops in a first hand way. The choices of coverage also seem oddly focused, with redundant coverage of their scientific film-making in particular.
Overall, this is a good volume to come to get a picture of the breadth of their work, but not as effective at explaining how or why those developments were made.
There are many ways in which this volume is successful. These essays manage to take different snapshots across a very wide-ranging career, including but not limited to furniture design, architecture, interior design, film-making, and exhibition design, covering each roughly in historical turn. It also goes some way to untangle their respective contributions to that work, with one of the stand-out essays showing Ray Kieser's pre-Eames work and successfully extrapolating what that added to their overall work.
On the downside, the format of essays with different focus gives a scattershot impression of the work. Though their office is frequently mentioned, and many collaborators were available, one never feels one understand how their design process actually works and develops in a first hand way. The choices of coverage also seem oddly focused, with redundant coverage of their scientific film-making in particular.
Overall, this is a good volume to come to get a picture of the breadth of their work, but not as effective at explaining how or why those developments were made.
October 25, 2011
One of the most influential couples of the Twentieth century, Charles and Ray Eames made plastic chic. This book details their achievements in architecture, graphics and film as well as furniture design. But, if anyone wants to know, I'd love an Eames molded plastic rocker for Christmas or my birthday or for any other special occasion.
May 5, 2008
Brilliant furniture designers.
January 13, 2011
Since I've become obsessed with modern design lately, the Eames' have been right up my alley.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews