Eileen Gray - the special design
Eileen Gray (1878-1976) is one of the most influential designers of the modern era. Her name is often misquoted: Eileen Grey - as her name speaks like the color gray. One of her most famous designs is the height-adjustable table Adjustable Table E 1027, which is a Bauhaus classic that is reproduced and plagiarized unchanged. The original by Eileen Gray is produced by the manufacturer ClassiCon. The furniture stands for practicality, it can not only be adjusted in height, but also transported by the handle and pushed under any seating furniture with its base. The materials tubular steel and glass, as well as the formal simplicity, come from the Bauhaus and De Stijl movements, but the elegance of Art Deco can also be found in this table and many of Gray's other designs. This combination is what makes the artist's furniture and rugs so appealing.
The career of Eileen Gray
Eileen Gray was born in Ireland and studied at the Slade School of Art in London from 1898 to 1902 and at the École Colarossi and the Académie Julian in Paris until 1905, where she moved into an apartment at No. 21 Rue Bonaparte, which she occupied until her death. From 1910 she designed exclusive lacquer furniture, in which she made visible the fading Art Nouveau and Japonism. Japonism refers to the Western world's enthusiasm for the art of Japan in the 19th century. Gray took her cue from Japanese lacquer artist Seizo Sougawara (1884-1937) and Art Deco artist Jacques-Émile Ruhlmann (1879-1933). In parallel, she also developed interior concepts. During World War I, she worked as a truck driver. In 1915, after two years in London, she returned to Paris and designed Mme Lévy's apartment with lacquer screens. As a designer, she was considered an insider; as a woman, she enjoyed her life with relationships with other women, cars, and travel.
A house of love
Around 1920, Gray met the architect Jean Badovici, who was also the editor of the architecture magazine L'Architecture Vivante and encouraged her to venture into architectural projects. Around 1925, she built E.1027 on the French Riviera near Monte Carlo. The designer's house was characterized by open floor plan, perfect space planning, built-in furniture and the integration of the building into its surroundings. The Bibendum armchair was also designed by Eileen Gray for the house in 1926. Gray has the property registered in Badovici's name. The name E1027 represents the couple's initials: E for Eileen, 10, 2 and 7 for the letters J, B and G. After separating from Badovici, Gray built another house for herself and her housekeeper nearby. The famous architect and designer Le Corbusier, a good friend of Badovici, painted the white walls of the first house with garish pictures, which greatly embittered Eileen Gray and caused a dispute that lasted for years.
The work of Eileen Gray - honors and classics of modernism
In 1922 Gray participated in the exhibition Union des Artistes Modernes, opened her own design workshop and the gallery Jean Désert, where she exhibited her designs, including armchairs, carpets and screens. Her furniture sold only in small numbers during her lifetime; the fortune of her parents' home enabled her to live this way. Eileen Gray later lived in seclusion in Paris or near her first home. Gradually, the artist fell into oblivion. It was not until the late 20th century that she and her work were rediscovered. In 1972, four years before her death, she was named "Royal Designer to Industry" in London. Since 1987, Adjustable Table E 1027 has been on display at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. Eileen Gray's "Dragons armchair" is considered the most valuable chair of the 20th century, fetching €20 million at a Christie's auction. Another classic by Eileen Gray is the Roquebrune chair, which was intended for outdoor use in the garden of her second house in Castellar and was originally made of canvas. For indoor use, Gray developed a version with a leather covering.
