Histoire de la collection
Origine
La relation entre Eames et Herman Miller a commencé avec le contreplaqué moulé. Au début des années 1940, Charles et Ray Eames ont reçu une commande de la marine américaine pour mettre au point des attelles légères en contreplaqué moulé. En 1946, Herman Miller a lancé la Eames Molded Plywood Chair, la Molded Plywood Lounge Chair, le paravent pliant et la table basse Coffee Table ; la même année, le Museum of Modern Art de New York organisait l'exposition « New Furniture Designed by Charles Eames ». En 1947, Herman Miller a obtenu les droits exclusifs de commercialisation et de distribution des produits en contreplaqué moulé.
Langage de design
Épuré et moderne, ludique et fonctionnel : Herman Miller l'appelle « l'esprit Eames ». Chaque projet partait des mêmes questions : nous intrigue-t-il, peut-on le perfectionner, sera-t-il un « sérieux amusement » ? D'un matériau à l'autre, le contreplaqué moulé a conduit aux sièges en fibre de verre moulée (1950), puis à l'aluminium moulé et au cuir. « Les détails ne sont pas des détails, disait Charles. Ce sont eux qui font le produit. »
Pièces emblématiques
- Eames Lounge Chair and Ottoman (lancé en 1956)
- Eames Molded Plywood Lounge Chair LCW et Dining Chair DCW (1946)
- Chaises Eames en plastique moulé / fibre de verre, Eames Storage Units et Wire Base Low Table (1950)
- Eames Sofa Compact (1954), Eames Executive Chairs (1960) et Eames Chaise (1968)
- Eames Task Chairs (coque sur piétement en étoile à cinq branches), Eames Coffee Table (1949, produite depuis 2017), Eames Molded Plywood Coffee Table (1946) et Eames Tables (1957-1964)
- Eames Hang-It-All (1953), Eames Aluminum Group, Eames Turned Stools, Eames Soft Pad Group
Pièces de cette collection
Eames Molded Plastic Chair
Eames shell-chair family from 1950, now in recycled plastic; the wire-base side chair is measured.
Eames Sofa Compact
The Eames Sofa Compact, a six-foot, three-seat sofa in production since 1954.
Eames Executive Chairs
The 1960 Eames Executive Chair for the Time & Life Building, in leather on an aluminum base.
Eames Molded Wood Chairs
Three-dimensional veneer completes the Eameses' one-piece molded wood shell.
Eames Chaise
The 1968 Eames Chaise, an 18-inch-wide leather chaise on a die-cast aluminum frame.
Eames Coffee Table
Charles and Ray Eames's 1949 coffee table, reissued with a dowel base and wire struts.
Eames Molded Fiberglass Chairs
The 1950 Eames fiberglass shell chair, reintroduced in 2014 in a reformulated fiberglass.
Eames Soft Pad Chairs
The 1969 Eames Soft Pad Group: Aluminum Group chairs with plush individually upholstered cushions.
Eames Aluminum Group Chairs
The Eames suspension chair family in production since 1958, from side chair to executive chair.
Eames Molded Plastic Dining Chair
The EC-127 dining form returns in 2025 using post-industrial recycled plastic.
Eames Molded Plywood Lounge Chair LCW
The 1946 Eames lounge chair on molded plywood legs, with rubber shock mounts and a low seat.
Eames Shell Task Chairs
Charles and Ray Eames's molded shell chair on a five-star swivel base, as a side chair or armchair.
Eames Lounge Chair and Ottoman (Herman Miller)
The 1956 Eames club-chair reinterpretation with 7-ply veneer shells and replaceable cushions.
Eames Shell Chairs
The Eames single-shell chair family, from the 1950 fiberglass chair to recycled-plastic shells.
Eames Molded Plywood Coffee Table
Charles and Ray Eames's 1946 round coffee table of molded plywood, on a wood or metal base.
Eames Sofa
The last piece of furniture produced by the Eames Office, in production since 1984.
Eames Tables
The Eames system of table bases and tops, from occasional to conference and standing height.
Eames Wire Chairs
The Eames welded-wire shell chair, produced from 1951 to 1967 and reintroduced in 2001.