A great gift book pairing the words of Charles & Ray Eames with images of their work and life.
Charles Eames (1907-1978) and Ray Eames (1912-1988) were the husband and wife American designers whose furniture (including the famous Eames Lounge Chair and the molded plywood chair) epitomizes Modern Design.
Inspiring quotes on the design process and on what makes good design from taken letters, talks, and interviews.
Many rare photographs of Charles and Ray Eames themselves
The book is edited by the Eames' grandson who runs the Eames Office in LA and is published by the world's premiere architecture and design museum, Vitra, which now houses the Eames estate
This is a "lighter," more "gifty" and more affordable overview of Eames work than the Essential Furniture Sourcebook.
The major exhibition The World of Charles & Ray Eames will open Fall 2017 at Vitra.
WEST COAST INTEREST: The Eames were based in Pacific Palisades CA , and their house is open to the public by reservation. Los Angeles based Eames Demetrios is their grandson and Director of the Eames Office
Edited by Eames Demetrios, Carla Hartman. Introduction by Eames Demetrios. Text by Charles Eames, Ray Eames.
Pairing words of design wisdom with classic works, Essential Eames encapsulates the duo's achievements
Charles and Ray Eames are among the most influential designers of the 20th century. Enthusiastic and tireless experimenters, this beloved husband-and-wife duo moved fluidly between the fields of photography, film, architecture, exhibition-making and furniture and product design. The Eames Office was a hub of activity where the Eameses and their collaborators produced an array of pioneering designs, communicating their ideas with a boundless creativity that defined their careers. The Eameses embraced the joy of trial and error and approached design as a way of life.
From personal letters, photographs, drawings and artwork, to their products, models, multimedia installations and furniture, Essential Eames includes not only some of the designs for which they are best known, but provides an insight into the lives of the Eameses, the Eames Office and the breadth of their pioneering work, bringing their ideas and playful spirit to life.
Featured image is reproduced from 'Essential Eames.'
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FROM THE BOOK
Excerpts from 'Essential Eames'
"Thinking of how a chair looks comes pretty far down on the list of things I worry about when designing. I only think about how they look in relation to how they are doing their job. They must be comfortable—comfortable for the kind of use they're going to get."
"In architecture, or furniture, or jackstraws, it is the connection that can do you in. Where two materials come together, brother, watch out!"
"The art is not something you apply to your work. The art is the way you do your work, a result of your attitude toward it."
"Don’t take any job with whose objective you do not agree and don't take a job as a stepping-stone to something else… By following these guidelines, you have a chance of bringing your entire experience to the jobs you do and avoiding a lot of misery."
“The motivation behind most of the things we’ve done was either that we wanted them or we wanted to give them to someone else.” Featured image is a Christmas card by Charles and Ray Eames, 1946. Reproduced from Vitra’s wonderful new release, Essential Eames: Words & Pictures, the image is constructed of: 1) a background photograph of birds at the beach; 2) a foreground photograph of Charles and Ray Eames; 3) a final photograph of the foreground image reflected in the glass ball with bird background. continue to blog
After the formidable, seemingly never-ending year we've almost—finally!!—seen to its bitter end, we're taking pure, unadulterated inspiration from this simple 1945 photograph of Charles and Ray Eames lighting candles on a Christmas tree they'd just made from molded plywood chair legs. It is reproduced from Essential Eames: Words and Pictures, published by Vitra Design Museum. This is a book that reminds us to love, to play and to create. Charles and Ray Eames were, above all, irrepressible problem solvers. Great models for 2021. continue to blog
“At all times love and discipline have led to a beautiful environment and a good life.” Featured image is the Solar Do-Nothing Machine, photographed at the Eames Office in Venice, CA, 1957. Originally produced by Charles and Ray Eames for Alcoa, the Aluminum Company of America, this playful machine was one of the first to use solar power to produce electricity. It, and the above quotation, are reproduced from Essential Eames,Vitra’s uplifting new book of Eames documentation in words and pictures. Happy holidays from ARTBOOK | D.A.P.! continue to blog
“Any time one or more things are consciously put together in a way that they can accomplish something better than they could have accomplished individually, this is an act of design. Combining rye bread and swiss cheese is a great act of design. The value of the result, the sandwich, is not the value of rye bread plus cheese, but it is rye bread plus cheese raised to the Nth power.” This undated photograph of a table setting in the Eames House kitchen and excerpt of Charles Eames’ notes for the 1954 SFMOMA television program, Discovery, are reproduced from Essential Eames: Words & Pictures, one of our favorite Holiday Gift Books of 2017, and a new release this week. continue to blog
“Here is more than a prediction—but a sincere hope that tomorrow’s design will see less and less of the designer himself reflected in it.” Featured image is a still from Tops (1969), the classic Eames toy film. It is reproduced from Vitra’s inspiring and beautifully produced new release, Essential Eames: Words & Pictures. The perfect gift for the design lover on this last night of Hannukah. continue to blog
FORMAT: Hbk, 6.5 x 9.5 in. / 216 pgs / 75 color / 50 b&w. LIST PRICE: U.S. $39.95 LIST PRICE: CANADA $53.95 ISBN: 9783945852170 PUBLISHER: Vitra Design Museum AVAILABLE: 11/21/2017 DISTRIBUTION: D.A.P. RETAILER DISC: TRADE PUBLISHING STATUS: Active AVAILABILITY: In stock TERRITORY: NA LA
Published by Vitra Design Museum. Edited by Eames Demetrios, Carla Hartman. Introduction by Eames Demetrios. Text by Charles Eames, Ray Eames.
Pairing words of design wisdom with classic works, Essential Eames encapsulates the duo's achievements
Charles and Ray Eames are among the most influential designers of the 20th century. Enthusiastic and tireless experimenters, this beloved husband-and-wife duo moved fluidly between the fields of photography, film, architecture, exhibition-making and furniture and product design. The Eames Office was a hub of activity where the Eameses and their collaborators produced an array of pioneering designs, communicating their ideas with a boundless creativity that defined their careers. The Eameses embraced the joy of trial and error and approached design as a way of life.
From personal letters, photographs, drawings and artwork, to their products, models, multimedia installations and furniture, Essential Eames includes not only some of the designs for which they are best known, but provides an insight into the lives of the Eameses, the Eames Office and the breadth of their pioneering work, bringing their ideas and playful spirit to life.
