The furniture of Charles and Ray Eames

The oeuvre of the American designer couple Charles and Ray Eames is extraordinary in its range and diversity. Their groundbreaking furniture designs, which have remained current and relevant throughout the decades since their creation, play a central role in the Eameses' work. As the sole authorised manufacturer of Eames designs in Europe and the Middle East for the past fifty years, Vitra is commemorating the 100th birthday of Charles Eames with the publication of a book entitled The Furniture of Charles & Ray Eames. In the introduction, this richly illustrated volume discusses prominent characteristics of the Eameses' multi-faceted work. The primary focus of the book, however, is on furniture design. Grouped into categories based on materials such as plywood, plastic, wire and aluminium, all of the Eames designs produced by Vitra are presented in detail. Reproductions of vintage photographs and documents accompany explanatory texts which provide in-depth information on the historical background and distinctive structural features of the furniture designs. Contemporary photographs illustrate the aesthetic quality of these objects. The active preservation of Charles and Ray Eames' legacy is the subject of a dialogue between Rolf Fehlbaum, the Chairman of Vitra, and Charles' grandson Eames Demetrios, the present director of the Eames Office.