"Work of Charles and Ray Eames: A Legacy of Invention"
2000-06-25 until 2000-09-10
Los Angeles County Museum of Art
Los Angeles, CA, USA

Charles and Ray Eames practiced design at its most economical and its most expansive. From the time they moved to Southern California in 1941 to the 1970s, their designs, furniture, architecture, exhibitions, films, toys, and books aimed to improve society culturally, intellectually, and functionally. The Eameses' wholehearted belief that design could improve people's lives remains their greatest legacy. Even more remarkable is how they achieved their seriousness of purpose with elegance, wit, and beauty.

The Los Angeles County Museum of Art presents The Work of Charles and Ray Eames: A Legacy of Invention, examining for the first time the extraordinary artistic and cultural impact of husband and wife team Charles and Ray Eames on twentieth-century life and design worldwide. On view from June 25 through September 11, 2000, the exhibition includes more than 300 objects, furniture, production material, paintings and sculptures, documentation and media, as well as ephemera, two multi-media presentations, and 98 minutes of film footage drawn from the Eameses’ vast production library. Because LACMA’s own collection is strong in Eames material, additions have been made to the Los Angeles presentation of this exhibition, including a full recreation of the Eames’ front office, originally located at 901 Washington Boulevard in Venice. The never-before-seen recreation of the Eameses’ working environment features the original Eames-designed desks, chairs, couch, and multicultural objects from their many travels, as well as papers, documents, original tapestries, and works of art. Other items exclusive to the LACMA presentation include a musical tower from the office; a molded plywood sculpture of 1943 and the Ray Eames designed textile Sea Things of 1947.

This exhibition brings together the sources of the Eameses’ inspiration, the personal documents of their lives, and the finished products of their talent, said Martin Chapman, curator of Decorative Arts at LACMA. Having this tremendous body of work in the city that inspired it makes this exhibition a rare opportunity that should resonate strongly with visitors from Los Angeles and around the country.

Credits: The exhibition was organized by the Library of Congress in partnership with the Vitra Design Museum. The U.S. tour was organized by the Library of Congress. Funding for the exhibition was provided by IBM, Herman Miller, Inc., and Vitra AG. Additional support was provided by CCI, Inc., and the Eames Office. Responsibility for concept development was shared by Donald Albrecht, Exhibition Director and Catalogue Editor and Hodgetts+Fung Design Associates, Exhibition Designers, in collaboration with the organizing institutions.

Related Links:

Indepth Arts Resources for the State of California

Other Important Exhibitions in Los Angeles