The Eames Era

In the Mid Century Modern Art world, the phrase "The Eames Era" is bandied about quite a bit from eBay to various websites, most likely from those who have very little knowledge of what or who the Eames were. Who where the Eames and why do they have such influence over modern design and thought today?

The Eames referred to here are Charles (1907-1978) and Ray Eames (1912-1988). No, they weren't brothers, they were a husband and wife team who designed some of the most influential furniture of the 20th Century. But they didn't stop there, they also produced wonderful children's toys, puzzles, and amazing films, including "The Powers of Ten".

I have a framed picture of Charles and Ray Eames in the hallway of my home. It is from a Christmas card they created in the 40s and was used by Apple Computer for one of their "Think Different" posters (I love Mac computers too, they are keeping in the mid century modern art design sense and functionality).

I get an overwhelming sense of exhilarating exhuberance looking at the smiles of these 2 individuals. Happy, creative, and confident in their unique and vast talents and abilities, and in their ablity to work together to create such diverse and memorable work. The fact that they found each other in this huge world and wasted no time in creating modern masterpieces is a testament to them and the human spirit. It's an uplifting picture.

Charles divorced his first wife in 1941 and one month later married Ray. They traveled cross-country to Los Angeles where they quickly set up a spare bedroom in their apartment to work on their molded plywood experiments which quickly became a success, and became the basis for their Eames Chair, and molded plywood chair. The Eames Era was born.

I would love to get into the minds of these 2 wonderful people, of course they are both now long gone. I wonder what motivated them. I wonder if their lives were as perfect as they seemed. What heartaches did they feel? What disapointments did they encounter? Their legacy tells us much, but I am searching for more and will report it as I find it, here.