Ray Eames
Designer & artist
Ray-Bernice Alexandra Kaiser Eames was an American artist and designer who worked in a variety of media. She was responsible for groundbreaking contributions in the fields of architecture, graphic design, textile design, film, and furniture in the Eames Office.
Ray Eames
Designer & artist
Ray-Bernice Alexandra Kaiser Eames was an American artist and designer who worked in a variety of media. She was responsible for groundbreaking contributions in the fields of architecture, graphic design, textile design, film, and furniture in the Eames Office.
Alongside her architect husband Charles Eames, Ray Eames incorporated the most influential design partnership of the twentieth century. Together, they saw design as a spontaneous way of life and were pioneers in the use of new materials and technologies. (Sellers, 2017)
However, Ray never became as successful as her husband. She was usually considered the helper of her very clever and talented designer husband, Charles Eames. On one occasion in 1956, the US television host Arlene Francis even dismissed Ray and continued the show’s segment only with Charles.
At a time when women were traditionally expected to assume conventional roles of wives and homemakers, Ray never conformed and tried to stand up from that.
She was born in Sacramento, California, in 1912 and was soon inspired and encouraged to pay attention to details and find beauty in her daily observations. Her parents encouraged her to create and experiment with various materials, and she started making her paper dolls and fashion patterns since she was three years old.
In 1930 she studied at Art Students League in New York and was an apprentice of Hans Hoffman, an influential German abstract expressionist. With his help, she sharpened her own visual language, which was later recognised as the aesthetic of Eames’ works.
Inspired by the passion for nature she developed as a child, Ray understood the importance of space, composition and volume in her paintings, which helped her and her husband evolving as designers.
Charles and Ray married in 1941 and created a home design studio together. “While Charles went to work as a set designer (…), Ray was left to develop the prototypes and processes of bending and shaping plywood into biomorphic curves”. (Sellers, 2017) Through the years, Ray was rarely mentioned and recognized for the work of both. Eliot Noyes, director of the industrial design department at MoMA, observed once that Charles Eames had designed and produced the most important group of furniture ever developed in the country. He never mentioned Ray.
In the 1960s, the Eames studios’ attention relocated its focus towards information and communication design, and their journey continued through the creation of educational films and exhibitions for various corporations and institutions.
Before their death, Ray designed both hers and her husband ash caskets, which were buried in the same place, to follow her desire to ensure that “the inner order and sculptural beauty she brought to their partnership carried out with them.” (Sellers, 2017)
Birth: 15th December 1912, Sacramento, California
Death: 21st August 1988, Los Angeles, California
Font: Sellers, L., 2017. Women design. London: Frances Lincoln.
Alongside her architect husband Charles Eames, Ray Eames incorporated the most influential design partnership of the twentieth century. Together, they saw design as a spontaneous way of life and were pioneers in the use of new materials and technologies. (Sellers, 2017)
However, Ray never became as successful as her husband. She was usually considered the helper of her very clever and talented designer husband, Charles Eames. On one occasion in 1956, the US television host Arlene Francis even dismissed Ray and continued the show’s segment only with Charles.
At a time when women were traditionally expected to assume conventional roles of wives and homemakers, Ray never conformed and tried to stand up from that.
She was born in Sacramento, California, in 1912 and was soon inspired and encouraged to pay attention to details and find beauty in her daily observations. Her parents encouraged her to create and experiment with various materials, and she started making her paper dolls and fashion patterns since she was three years old.
In 1930 she studied at Art Students League in New York and was an apprentice of Hans Hoffman, an influential German abstract expressionist. With his help, she sharpened her own visual language, which was later recognised as the aesthetic of Eames’ works.
Inspired by the passion for nature she developed as a child, Ray understood the importance of space, composition and volume in her paintings, which helped her and her husband evolving as designers.
Charles and Ray married in 1941 and created a home design studio together. “While Charles went to work as a set designer (…), Ray was left to develop the prototypes and processes of bending and shaping plywood into biomorphic curves”. (Sellers, 2017) Through the years, Ray was rarely mentioned and recognized for the work of both. Eliot Noyes, director of the industrial design department at MoMA, observed once that Charles Eames had designed and produced the most important group of furniture ever developed in the country. He never mentioned Ray.
In the 1960s, the Eames studios’ attention relocated its focus towards information and communication design, and their journey continued through the creation of educational films and exhibitions for various corporations and institutions.
Before their death, Ray designed both hers and her husband ash caskets, which were buried in the same place, to follow her desire to ensure that “the inner order and sculptural beauty she brought to their partnership carried out with them.” (Sellers, 2017)
Birth: 15th December 1912, Sacramento, California
Death: 21st August 1988, Los Angeles, California
Font: Sellers, L., 2017. Women design. London: Frances Lincoln.
