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Charles Eames created this piece with his wife Ray. They were an unstoppable design duo who added a dash of sex appeal to the mid-20th century design scene. They recognized that consumers wanted to usher in a new aesthetic era with clean, modern designs that they could easily obtain and afford. Their experiments with molded plywood caused TIME magazine to dub this cute seat the "design of the century."
Though you'll find an original one nestled in OMCA's craft and design section, the chair was a mass-produced piece, so you may come across them from time to time in other collections, and they’re even still for sale! Wanna buy one?
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The Eames Lounge Chair Wood (LCW) (also known as Low Chair Wood or Eames Plywood Lounge Chair) is a low seated easy chair designed by husband and wife team Charles and Ray Eames.
The chair was designed using technology for molding plywood that the Eames developed before and during the Second World War. Before American involvement in the war, Charles Eames and his friend, architect Eero Saarinen, entered a furniture group into the Museum of Modern Art's "Organic Design in Home Furnishings Competition" in 1940, a contest exploring the natural evolution of furniture in response to the rapidly changing world. Eames & Saarinen won the competition. However, production of the chairs was postponed due to production difficulties, and then by the United States' entry into WWII. Saarinen left the project due to frustration with production.
Charles Eames and his wife Ray Kaiser Eames moved to Venice Beach, LA in 1941. Charles took a job as a set painter for MGM Studios to support them. Ray, formally trained as a painter and sculptor, continued experiments with molded plywood designs in the spare room of their apartment. In 1942 Charles left MGM to begin making molded plywood splints for the United States Navy. The splints used compound curves to mimic the shape of the human leg. The experience of shaping plywood into compound curves contributed greatly to the development of the LCW.
Check out the full Wikipedia article about Eames Lounge Chair Wood
This is a very beautiful chair made by Charles Eames.
Can't believe this is in a museum. Totally not art!