The innovative Bibendum chair is among the most famous furniture designs of the 20th century. Rather, the back and armrest of the chair, which is designed for rest and socialization, consists of two semi-circular tubes with leather upholstery. When choosing the name Bibendum for this chair designed by Gray for hat designer Madame Mathieu Lévy, it was inspired by the character of Michelin tires.
The visible part of the Bibendum chair is made of shiny chrome-plated stainless steel pipes; the seat font is beech wood, the backrest and armrests are covered with light leather. She also designed the red Serpent chair and Pirogue Bota Bed with its plain form. Today the Bibendum chair is completely different from her more traditional work as part of a modernist set, and has a surprising modernity for the time.
At the age of 76, with the help of a local architect, Eileen Gray annexed and renovated the cottage she owned until 1939. Located in the south of Saint Tropez, close to the church of Saint Anne in the heart of the vineyards, the house is a typical example that reflects the basic principles of architecture such as simple volumes, rustic materials and proximity to nature. In the architecture of the house, the relationship between interior and exterior was intertwined, displaying a distinctive simplicity and elegance.
Eileen Gray has a deep intuition to analyze objects, infuse them with soul and bring them to perfection. The fact that she produces works that are far from the fashion or trends of the day allows her to have a free spirit without compromising her principles. Until the last day of her life, she finds her inexhaustible energy in her solitude. 4
This free-spirited woman, who was not blindly attached to any current, did not mold herself into her sexual orientation. Eileen, who was quite free in her private life, had a shy nature as a designer; she never saw herself as a commercial designer. She introduced her designs to the world market only before she died, working with Zeev Aram. She remains so humble in the male-dominated design industry that his name was almost forgotten until an article published in the magazine Domus in 1967. In 1972, Gray’s name began to be heard again when Yves Saint Lauren bought her cover called Le Destin. In the same year, her first retrospective was opened in London, titled Eileen Gray: Pioneer of Design. The following year, the exhibition continued in Dublin, and The Royal Institute of the Architects of Ireland awarded this 95-year-old pioneering designer an honorary membership. Thus, despite not having an architectural education, she proved herself in this field as well. The Bibendum chair entered mass production for the first time in the same year, along with many other designs, and is still being produced today. 5
Eileen Gray’s accomplishments were limited throughout her life. According to Reyner Banham, “[Eileen Gray’s work] was also part of a personal style and design philosophy; it was too rich for the circle of experts. And if the experts didn’t publish you, you were off the record and ceased to be a part of the universe of scientific discourse, especially in the book that defined the great order of the thirties, forties, and fifties.”
The Collins Barracks section of the National Museum of Ireland features a continuous exhibition of her work.
In February 2009, the “Dragons” chair made by Eileen Gray between 1917-1919 (acquired by her former boss Suzanne Talbot and later as part of the Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Bergé collection) was auctioned for 21.9 million Euros ( $28.3 million), setting an auction record for 20th century decorative art.
In 2016, a biopic about the life of Eileen Gray called The Price of Desire was released. 6
Source:
1- Poetic Modernism: Eileen Gray (agacinizinde.com/portre/eileen-gray)
2- Eileen Gray (tr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eileen_Gray)
3- A Non-Conformist Icon (industry313.com/en/paper/finds-tr/non-konformist-bir-icon/)
1- Poetic Modernism: Eileen Gray (agacinizinde.com/portre/eileen-gray)
5- Eileen Gray and the Spirit of the Free Designer (aposto.com/s/6228ed4c6843080006491b3e)
2- Eileen Gray (tr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eileen_Gray)
The innovative Bibendum chair is among the most famous furniture designs of the 20th century. Rather, the back and armrest of the chair, which is designed for rest and socialization, consists of two semi-circular tubes with leather upholstery. When choosing the name Bibendum for this chair designed by Gray for hat designer Madame Mathieu Lévy, it was inspired by the character of Michelin tires.
The visible part of the Bibendum chair is made of shiny chrome-plated stainless steel pipes; the seat font is beech wood, the backrest and armrests are covered with light leather. She also designed the red Serpent chair and Pirogue Bota Bed with its plain form. Today the Bibendum chair is completely different from her more traditional work as part of a modernist set, and has a surprising modernity for the time.
At the age of 76, with the help of a local architect, Eileen Gray annexed and renovated the cottage she owned until 1939. Located in the south of Saint Tropez, close to the church of Saint Anne in the heart of the vineyards, the house is a typical example that reflects the basic principles of architecture such as simple volumes, rustic materials and proximity to nature. In the architecture of the house, the relationship between interior and exterior was intertwined, displaying a distinctive simplicity and elegance.
Eileen Gray has a deep intuition to analyze objects, infuse them with soul and bring them to perfection. The fact that she produces works that are far from the fashion or trends of the day allows her to have a free spirit without compromising her principles. Until the last day of her life, she finds her inexhaustible energy in her solitude. 4
This free-spirited woman, who was not blindly attached to any current, did not mold herself into her sexual orientation. Eileen, who was quite free in her private life, had a shy nature as a designer; she never saw herself as a commercial designer. She introduced her designs to the world market only before she died, working with Zeev Aram. She remains so humble in the male-dominated design industry that his name was almost forgotten until an article published in the magazine Domus in 1967. In 1972, Gray’s name began to be heard again when Yves Saint Lauren bought her cover called Le Destin. In the same year, her first retrospective was opened in London, titled Eileen Gray: Pioneer of Design. The following year, the exhibition continued in Dublin, and The Royal Institute of the Architects of Ireland awarded this 95-year-old pioneering designer an honorary membership. Thus, despite not having an architectural education, she proved herself in this field as well. The Bibendum chair entered mass production for the first time in the same year, along with many other designs, and is still being produced today. 5
Eileen Gray’s accomplishments were limited throughout her life. According to Reyner Banham, “[Eileen Gray’s work] was also part of a personal style and design philosophy; it was too rich for the circle of experts. And if the experts didn’t publish you, you were off the record and ceased to be a part of the universe of scientific discourse, especially in the book that defined the great order of the thirties, forties, and fifties.”
The Collins Barracks section of the National Museum of Ireland features a continuous exhibition of her work.
In February 2009, the “Dragons” chair made by Eileen Gray between 1917-1919 (acquired by her former boss Suzanne Talbot and later as part of the Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Bergé collection) was auctioned for 21.9 million Euros ( $28.3 million), setting an auction record for 20th century decorative art.
In 2016, a biopic about the life of Eileen Gray called The Price of Desire was released. 6
Source:
1- Poetic Modernism: Eileen Gray (agacinizinde.com/portre/eileen-gray)
2- Eileen Gray (tr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eileen_Gray)
3- A Non-Conformist Icon (industry313.com/en/paper/finds-tr/non-konformist-bir-icon/)
1- Poetic Modernism: Eileen Gray (agacinizinde.com/portre/eileen-gray)
5- Eileen Gray and the Spirit of the Free Designer (aposto.com/s/6228ed4c6843080006491b3e)
2- Eileen Gray (tr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eileen_Gray)
Always out of the norms of art and life, Eileen Gray is a creative, independent, maverick, extraordinary woman in the avant-garde of the 1920s. Although she made some of the most well-known designs of the 20th century, she is a nonconformist icon who did not participate in any movement or group of the time, and who did not hesitate to oppose some of the principles of modernist architecture she adopted.
Can a designer define and deny modernism throughout their career? This is certainly possible if the designer in question is Eileen Gray. Eileen Gray was born in Ireland in 1878 into a very rich, aristocratic family. She completed her university education at Slade School Faculty of Fine Arts Painting Department, which is still one of the best art schools in England. Gray is also one of the first female students admitted to this school. After completing her training, she moved to Paris in 1902 and started working there in the varnish workshop of a Japanese master. Hand varnished furniture is of great importance in the art deco style of the period. When Gray combines the effects of the Far East, which she obtained from the Japanese master, with painting education and of course her own design language, much superior products emerge from similar products both in terms of handicraft and image. Her pieces do not go unnoticed by Parisian aristocrats, and Gray breathes new life into the decorative arts scene in Paris, where women are doomed. In this way, while she succeeds in taking the wind behind her, she also lays the foundations for the next stage of her career. Gray opens a showroom called Galerie Jean Désert with her partner at that time, architect and architecture critic Jean Badovici. At Galerie Jean Désert, she both exhibits her varnish works and takes on decoration projects. Decorating the house of Suzanne Talbot, the famous fashion designer of the period, is one of the milestones in her career. Talbot house becomes a book example of French Art Deco style with animal skins accompanying exotic patterns. But the problem is that Eileen Gray has never felt close to the Art Deco style. Gray uses metal tube-like legs and a curved body in the Bibendum Chair, a product she designed for the Talbot house. Bibendum Chair is one of the first appearances of the metal pipe, which is the A, B, and C of the mid-century modern style, which has not even begun to be heard yet. The next decoration project comes from Rue de Lotta. Gray is fascinated by the architecture of the building in which this house is located, and she loses her heart to it. Although she has no training on this subject, she now dedicates the time she spends to varnish to architectural drawings, and with the encouragement of Jean Badovici, a new era begins for her. 3
Gray’s most important work is the E1027 house she built with Romanian architect Jean Badovici in Roquebrune-Cap-Martin in 1929, which is considered a manifesto of modernity. The design of the villa, built in 1926, is based on a minimalist need that represents Jean Bodovici, a sports, entertainment and business lover. Combining vertical axes (spiral staircase leading to the terrace above) and horizontal planes (two floors crowned with a roof terrace), the villa is built around a central room. The interior spaces, which are positioned according to the direction of the sun, are in contact with the exterior with countless sliding windows. E1027 is one of the exemplary structures that represents sensitive modernity with its organic integrity. Here, Gray and Badovici described their starting point as “creating a space that gives a sense of happiness within the architectural structure and that can be felt as a part of the whole”.
In 1931, Eileen Gray designed the Tempe a Palia house; it is the only project she has designed all by herself. The structure seemed to have been lost in the field among the vineyards and lemon trees, where old cisterns were found in the 1934 Menton hills. Tempe a Pailla also borrowed some concepts from the E1027 house. In this project, Gray constructs the house according to her own wishes and needs, acting in accordance with his independent spirit rather than following the rule of Le Corbusier and Pierre Jeanneret’s definition of “new architecture”; It produces a prototype furniture series by maximizing the relationship between architecture and furniture. Like a movable chest of drawers, a seating element-staircase, a towel rack, a pull-out bench and an expandable wardrobe…
Bibendum chair
The innovative Bibendum chair is among the most famous furniture designs of the 20th century. Rather, the back and armrest of the chair, which is designed for rest and socialization, consists of two semi-circular tubes with leather upholstery. When choosing the name Bibendum for this chair designed by Gray for hat designer Madame Mathieu Lévy, it was inspired by the character of Michelin tires.
The visible part of the Bibendum chair is made of shiny chrome-plated stainless steel pipes; the seat font is beech wood, the backrest and armrests are covered with light leather. She also designed the red Serpent chair and Pirogue Bota Bed with its plain form. Today the Bibendum chair is completely different from her more traditional work as part of a modernist set, and has a surprising modernity for the time.
At the age of 76, with the help of a local architect, Eileen Gray annexed and renovated the cottage she owned until 1939. Located in the south of Saint Tropez, close to the church of Saint Anne in the heart of the vineyards, the house is a typical example that reflects the basic principles of architecture such as simple volumes, rustic materials and proximity to nature. In the architecture of the house, the relationship between interior and exterior was intertwined, displaying a distinctive simplicity and elegance.
Eileen Gray has a deep intuition to analyze objects, infuse them with soul and bring them to perfection. The fact that she produces works that are far from the fashion or trends of the day allows her to have a free spirit without compromising her principles. Until the last day of her life, she finds her inexhaustible energy in her solitude. 4
This free-spirited woman, who was not blindly attached to any current, did not mold herself into her sexual orientation. Eileen, who was quite free in her private life, had a shy nature as a designer; she never saw herself as a commercial designer. She introduced her designs to the world market only before she died, working with Zeev Aram. She remains so humble in the male-dominated design industry that his name was almost forgotten until an article published in the magazine Domus in 1967. In 1972, Gray’s name began to be heard again when Yves Saint Lauren bought her cover called Le Destin. In the same year, her first retrospective was opened in London, titled Eileen Gray: Pioneer of Design. The following year, the exhibition continued in Dublin, and The Royal Institute of the Architects of Ireland awarded this 95-year-old pioneering designer an honorary membership. Thus, despite not having an architectural education, she proved herself in this field as well. The Bibendum chair entered mass production for the first time in the same year, along with many other designs, and is still being produced today. 5
Eileen Gray’s accomplishments were limited throughout her life. According to Reyner Banham, “[Eileen Gray’s work] was also part of a personal style and design philosophy; it was too rich for the circle of experts. And if the experts didn’t publish you, you were off the record and ceased to be a part of the universe of scientific discourse, especially in the book that defined the great order of the thirties, forties, and fifties.”
The Collins Barracks section of the National Museum of Ireland features a continuous exhibition of her work.
In February 2009, the “Dragons” chair made by Eileen Gray between 1917-1919 (acquired by her former boss Suzanne Talbot and later as part of the Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Bergé collection) was auctioned for 21.9 million Euros ( $28.3 million), setting an auction record for 20th century decorative art.
In 2016, a biopic about the life of Eileen Gray called The Price of Desire was released. 6
Source:
1- Poetic Modernism: Eileen Gray (agacinizinde.com/portre/eileen-gray)
2- Eileen Gray (tr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eileen_Gray)
3- A Non-Conformist Icon (industry313.com/en/paper/finds-tr/non-konformist-bir-icon/)
1- Poetic Modernism: Eileen Gray (agacinizinde.com/portre/eileen-gray)
5- Eileen Gray and the Spirit of the Free Designer (aposto.com/s/6228ed4c6843080006491b3e)
2- Eileen Gray (tr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eileen_Gray)
Eileen Gray, who influenced modernism and the Art Deco movement, is considered one of the most important names of the 20th century with her architect and designer identity. The multi-directional designer, who is known with the pioneering names of the age such as Le Corbusier and Mies Van Der Rohe, continues to inspire artists and designers from all generations from photography to textile, design to architecture with her works. 1
Irish furniture designer and pioneer of the Modern Movement in architecture Eileen Gray (b. Kathleen Eileen Moray Smith; August 9, 1878 – October 31, 1976). Throughout her career, he has worked with many important European artists of his time, including Kathleen Scott, Adrienne Gorska, Le Corbusier and his partner Jean Badovici. His most famous work is the house known as E-1027 in Roquebrune-Cap-Martin (France). 2
Always out of the norms of art and life, Eileen Gray is a creative, independent, maverick, extraordinary woman in the avant-garde of the 1920s. Although she made some of the most well-known designs of the 20th century, she is a nonconformist icon who did not participate in any movement or group of the time, and who did not hesitate to oppose some of the principles of modernist architecture she adopted.
Can a designer define and deny modernism throughout their career? This is certainly possible if the designer in question is Eileen Gray. Eileen Gray was born in Ireland in 1878 into a very rich, aristocratic family. She completed her university education at Slade School Faculty of Fine Arts Painting Department, which is still one of the best art schools in England. Gray is also one of the first female students admitted to this school. After completing her training, she moved to Paris in 1902 and started working there in the varnish workshop of a Japanese master. Hand varnished furniture is of great importance in the art deco style of the period. When Gray combines the effects of the Far East, which she obtained from the Japanese master, with painting education and of course her own design language, much superior products emerge from similar products both in terms of handicraft and image. Her pieces do not go unnoticed by Parisian aristocrats, and Gray breathes new life into the decorative arts scene in Paris, where women are doomed. In this way, while she succeeds in taking the wind behind her, she also lays the foundations for the next stage of her career. Gray opens a showroom called Galerie Jean Désert with her partner at that time, architect and architecture critic Jean Badovici. At Galerie Jean Désert, she both exhibits her varnish works and takes on decoration projects. Decorating the house of Suzanne Talbot, the famous fashion designer of the period, is one of the milestones in her career. Talbot house becomes a book example of French Art Deco style with animal skins accompanying exotic patterns. But the problem is that Eileen Gray has never felt close to the Art Deco style. Gray uses metal tube-like legs and a curved body in the Bibendum Chair, a product she designed for the Talbot house. Bibendum Chair is one of the first appearances of the metal pipe, which is the A, B, and C of the mid-century modern style, which has not even begun to be heard yet. The next decoration project comes from Rue de Lotta. Gray is fascinated by the architecture of the building in which this house is located, and she loses her heart to it. Although she has no training on this subject, she now dedicates the time she spends to varnish to architectural drawings, and with the encouragement of Jean Badovici, a new era begins for her. 3
Gray’s most important work is the E1027 house she built with Romanian architect Jean Badovici in Roquebrune-Cap-Martin in 1929, which is considered a manifesto of modernity. The design of the villa, built in 1926, is based on a minimalist need that represents Jean Bodovici, a sports, entertainment and business lover. Combining vertical axes (spiral staircase leading to the terrace above) and horizontal planes (two floors crowned with a roof terrace), the villa is built around a central room. The interior spaces, which are positioned according to the direction of the sun, are in contact with the exterior with countless sliding windows. E1027 is one of the exemplary structures that represents sensitive modernity with its organic integrity. Here, Gray and Badovici described their starting point as “creating a space that gives a sense of happiness within the architectural structure and that can be felt as a part of the whole”.
In 1931, Eileen Gray designed the Tempe a Palia house; it is the only project she has designed all by herself. The structure seemed to have been lost in the field among the vineyards and lemon trees, where old cisterns were found in the 1934 Menton hills. Tempe a Pailla also borrowed some concepts from the E1027 house. In this project, Gray constructs the house according to her own wishes and needs, acting in accordance with his independent spirit rather than following the rule of Le Corbusier and Pierre Jeanneret’s definition of “new architecture”; It produces a prototype furniture series by maximizing the relationship between architecture and furniture. Like a movable chest of drawers, a seating element-staircase, a towel rack, a pull-out bench and an expandable wardrobe…
Bibendum chair
The innovative Bibendum chair is among the most famous furniture designs of the 20th century. Rather, the back and armrest of the chair, which is designed for rest and socialization, consists of two semi-circular tubes with leather upholstery. When choosing the name Bibendum for this chair designed by Gray for hat designer Madame Mathieu Lévy, it was inspired by the character of Michelin tires.
The visible part of the Bibendum chair is made of shiny chrome-plated stainless steel pipes; the seat font is beech wood, the backrest and armrests are covered with light leather. She also designed the red Serpent chair and Pirogue Bota Bed with its plain form. Today the Bibendum chair is completely different from her more traditional work as part of a modernist set, and has a surprising modernity for the time.
At the age of 76, with the help of a local architect, Eileen Gray annexed and renovated the cottage she owned until 1939. Located in the south of Saint Tropez, close to the church of Saint Anne in the heart of the vineyards, the house is a typical example that reflects the basic principles of architecture such as simple volumes, rustic materials and proximity to nature. In the architecture of the house, the relationship between interior and exterior was intertwined, displaying a distinctive simplicity and elegance.
Eileen Gray has a deep intuition to analyze objects, infuse them with soul and bring them to perfection. The fact that she produces works that are far from the fashion or trends of the day allows her to have a free spirit without compromising her principles. Until the last day of her life, she finds her inexhaustible energy in her solitude. 4
This free-spirited woman, who was not blindly attached to any current, did not mold herself into her sexual orientation. Eileen, who was quite free in her private life, had a shy nature as a designer; she never saw herself as a commercial designer. She introduced her designs to the world market only before she died, working with Zeev Aram. She remains so humble in the male-dominated design industry that his name was almost forgotten until an article published in the magazine Domus in 1967. In 1972, Gray’s name began to be heard again when Yves Saint Lauren bought her cover called Le Destin. In the same year, her first retrospective was opened in London, titled Eileen Gray: Pioneer of Design. The following year, the exhibition continued in Dublin, and The Royal Institute of the Architects of Ireland awarded this 95-year-old pioneering designer an honorary membership. Thus, despite not having an architectural education, she proved herself in this field as well. The Bibendum chair entered mass production for the first time in the same year, along with many other designs, and is still being produced today. 5
Eileen Gray’s accomplishments were limited throughout her life. According to Reyner Banham, “[Eileen Gray’s work] was also part of a personal style and design philosophy; it was too rich for the circle of experts. And if the experts didn’t publish you, you were off the record and ceased to be a part of the universe of scientific discourse, especially in the book that defined the great order of the thirties, forties, and fifties.”
The Collins Barracks section of the National Museum of Ireland features a continuous exhibition of her work.
In February 2009, the “Dragons” chair made by Eileen Gray between 1917-1919 (acquired by her former boss Suzanne Talbot and later as part of the Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Bergé collection) was auctioned for 21.9 million Euros ( $28.3 million), setting an auction record for 20th century decorative art.
In 2016, a biopic about the life of Eileen Gray called The Price of Desire was released. 6
Source:
1- Poetic Modernism: Eileen Gray (agacinizinde.com/portre/eileen-gray)
2- Eileen Gray (tr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eileen_Gray)
3- A Non-Conformist Icon (industry313.com/en/paper/finds-tr/non-konformist-bir-icon/)
1- Poetic Modernism: Eileen Gray (agacinizinde.com/portre/eileen-gray)
5- Eileen Gray and the Spirit of the Free Designer (aposto.com/s/6228ed4c6843080006491b3e)
2- Eileen Gray (tr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eileen_Gray)
