The Modernist Legacy

The Eileen Gray exhibit opened in Paris at the Centre Pompidou on February 20th and is due to close on May 20th. If you are unable to make it, don’t worry, I basically have (almost) the entire exhibit here to show you. This is by far one of the most comprehensive show on the iconic Irish designer who lived in Paris for most of her life, and consequently was adopted by the French people. At the age of 76, with the help of local architect, Eileen Gray (1878 – 1976) embarked upon her last architectural project: the restoration and extension of a country house which she owned since 1939. In the heart of a vineyard, not far from the Chapelle Saite-Anne and just south of Saint Tropez, Lou Perou would be her last summer refuge.

Centre Pompidou, Paris

The sobriety of the site, the simplicity of the volumes, the rustic nature of the materials and the proximity to nature all appeal to the designer who wishes to construct a modest and discrete project. In a clearly vernacular style, the basic architecture established a discourse with the gardens and the layout of the terraces. Interior and exterior spaces intermingle and echo one another with simplicity and elegance!