Eileen Gray
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Eileen Gray’s Extraordinary Exhibition at Centre Pompidou
The Eileen Gray Exhibit in ParisPhoto courtesy Sarah Boutinon-Tharse for High End Weekly™The Modernist LegacyThe 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, ParisThe 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!
Eileen Gray, six-panel screen, circa 1922 – 1925Private Collection
Eileen Gray (1878 – 1976)
Eileen Gray, Lampadaire, circa 1925 (Standard Lamp)
Private Collection
Eileen Gray Rugs, Tapis, 1926-1929, Laine/Wool
Les Arts Decoratifs, musee des Arts decoratifs, Paris
Eileen Gray, Tapis circulaire, projet de tapis, circa 1920
Private Collection
Top Images: Rug Project, undated
Gouache on cardboard, Private Collection
Left: Meuble d’arhitecte, 1924
Sycomore, chrome-plated metal, Joe et Marie Donnelly
A 1920s black lacquer “Brick” screen, by Irish-born designer Eileen Gray
Above: Eileen Gray, Transat Lounge Chairs
Eileen Gray, Chair: Laminated wood, painted, with canvas, 1938Private Collection
Eileen Gray, Panneau laque a double face, circa 1915 (Lacquered double-sided panel)
Mixed technique lacquer, wood one side, lacquered on the other side with a squared pattern
Galerie Doria, Paris
View from the top: Centre Pompidou overlooking Paris
Written by Sarah Boutinon-Tharse for High End Weekly™ - Audrey Hepburn, Celebrities, Decorative Arts, Eileen Gray, Fernand Léger, Fine Arts, Furniture, HEW Hotels, Interior Design, Joan Collins, John Lyle, Kips Bay, Kitchens, Mick De Giulio, Richard Avedon
High End Weekly’s Year on Art, Design, and Fashion
Audrey HepburnAudrey Hepburn tops our Number 10 List this year as the most popular post. No surprise there. She was the face of grace and elegance, and everything stylish. And eventhough she exited the world’s stage in 1993, she remains an inspiration and role model for millions of women all over the world.
Other memorable stories were my Q&A with furniture designer John Lyle, my series on the awesome works of Fernand Léger, The Kips Bay Decoration Showhouse, and more.
Higher Grounds: Twiggy with Richard AvedonWhat strikes me the most about Twiggy is that she has remained strong and confident throughout her career, and her popularity hasn’t waned as seasons passed. This is quite a feat considering that most models and actors usually do not experience this outcome.No. 3
A pretty pair of pink wing chairs from Leah Antiques, as well as painting of Joan Collins from the early 1960’s take center stage in this exceedingly lively room.No wonder Joan Collins chose John Lyle to design her New York City apartment, as she got ready to sell it through Core Real Estate. He is so intuitive, plus it doesn’t hurt to have a marvelous eye for great design.No. 4
Fernand LégerFernand Léger’s work in the 1920s made his international reputation. They combined that certain quality of surrealism and the strong characteristic of the plain forms which he came to be known for.No. 5
Eileen Gray Transat ChairAs an architect, Eileen Gray designed and furnished herself a new home, Tempe à Pailla, outside Menton, France. That building is an icon of Modernist architecture, and the design was an awesome example of form meets function.No. 6
Composition, 1940 – 1942, oil on canvas – Fernand LégerImage via 1artclubWith all the glory that later came as being a blue chip artist, Fernand Léger’s career spaned from early investigations of painting as a means of capturing modern sensations in abstract and near abstract dynamic compositions to heroic images of common life.No. 7
Furniture trends tend to follow not just changing tastes, but changing needs as the ways in which we live our lives alter over time.No. 8
Custom made red Zig Zag table stands as a tribute to the late designer Albert HadleyRaji Radhakrishman’s Le Bureau PrivéThe Curator’s OfficeNo. 9
Metal Boy CabinetMost Americans would agree that the kitchen is one of the most important room in a house, and should be treated as such. And de Giulio is happy to prove that point by providing them with some of the most inspiring kitchens to “live with”.No. 10
Christian Deydier, Corice Arman, Xavier SamsonA global group of esteemed guests both from the US and France, gathered at the French Consulate in March 2012 to celebrate the official announcement of the Biennale des Antiquaires which took place on September 14 through the 23rd.
