Ray Eames: The Creative Partner
Born: Sacramento, California
Education: Cranbrook Academy of Art
Residence: LA, California
Design Movement: The Good Design Movement
Other notable designers of the time: Charles Eames, Frank Lloyd Wright, Salvador Dali, Hans Wegner
“What works good is better than what looks good, because what works good lasts.” – Ray Eames
Ray was born in Sacramento, California in 1912. Although her father passed away when she was young, her parents instilled in her an appreciation for nature at an early age. After Ray finished high school, she and her mother moved to New York where she studied abstract painting with Hans Hofmann. She helped found American Abstract Artists, an organization established to promote and foster a better public understanding of and appreciation for abstract art. After her mother’s death in 1940, Ray moved from New York to Michigan and enrolled in the Cranbrook Academy of Art.
At Cranbrook, Ray began studying different kinds of art in addition to painting. During her schooling, she worked with her soon-to-be partner Charles Eames, Harry Bertoia, and Eero Saarineen on display panels for an exhibition at the MoMA. After only knowing each other for a year, Ray and Charles married in 1941 and moved out to Los Angeles, California to open a design office which they named Eames Office.
Ray was a woman of many talents, making contributions in the fields of architecture, furniture design, industrial design, manufacturing, photographic arts, and more, making her a great asset to the Eames Office. In their professional relationship, Ray and Charles has a highly collaborative relationship and design process, resulting in the creation of many innovative products ranging from furniture to toys.
Ray and Charles are known best for their innovations in the furniture industry, using new materials such as molded plywood, fiberglass, plastic resin, and wire mesh. They were commissioned by the US Navy to design molded plywood splints and stretchers during World War II and they had their first breakthrough with their molded plywood chair in 1946. The chair was first produced by Esther Mcoy and named “the chair of the century.” Later production was taken over by Herman Miller.
Taking advantage of her many talents, Ray also worked on graphics for advertisements, posters, game boards, textiles, and more. Two of her prints, “Sea Things” and “Crosspatch” were given awards organized by the MoMA.
She and Charles also designed their home in California as part of the Case Study House Program, an initiative sponsored by Arts & Architecture Magazine to design and build inexpensive and efficient model homes for the United States residential housing boom caused by the huge influx of soldiers returning home after World War II. This home is still considered to be one of the most important post-war houses.
Eames Office closed after Charles’ death in 1978. Ray spent the rest of her time documenting her and Charles’ legacy. She passed away ten years to the day after her husband.
Although many credit the success of their designs to Charles because he was the public face of the company, Ray was a powerful voice in the partnership and they were true creative partners. Charles once famously said, “anything I can do, Ray can do better.”
One of Ray and Charles Eames’ most famous designs, the Eames Lounge Chair
Ray with one of her most famous original patterns. Although it wasn’t realized during her lifetime, since 2000 it has been replicated on everything from upholstery to tablecloths and purses.
The molded plywood splint Ray and Charles designed for the US Navy
Sources: “Charles and Ray.” Eames Office, 28 Aug. 2017, www.eamesoffice.com/eames-office/charles-and-ray/.
“Charles and Ray Eames.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 23 Jan. 2019, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_and_Ray_Eames.
“Ray Eames.” Deutsche Website, www.fembio.org/english/biography.php/woman/biography/ray-eames/.