02.02.2022
The World of Charles and Ray Eames
The Barbican’s Charles and Ray Eames first UK retrospective has only one week left, and this fascinating exhibition is not one to be missed. Charles and Ray Eames are among the most influential designers of the 20th century. The husband and wife duo’s Modernist aesthetic and approach to functional design has had a lasting impact on modern living, with their infamous furniture pieces still produced by Vitra and Herman Miller.
The Eameses moved fluidly between the fields of photography, film, architecture, exhibition-making, and furniture and product design. Spread over two floors, the exhibtion explores their multi-displinary careers, whilst providing insight into their lives and the creative hub of their 1949 Los Angeles steel framed home.
The exhibtion gives fascinating insight to Eameses’ iconic pieces and iterative way of working through accompanying plans, sketches, mock-ups and scaled models. Despite being best known for their furniture, the exhibtion displays the extensive range of mediums the Eameses worked in from photographs, drawings and artwork to their multi-media installations.
Here are some of our highlights.

Moulded plywood furniture display

Graphic Material for Herman Miller, 1949 - 1960s

Advertisment of Eames Lounge (670) and Ottoman (671), 1956