Mid2Mod: Alexander Girard

Showing posts with label Alexander Girard. Show all posts

Tuesday, November 26, 2013

Vitra trays

The last few days, my posts have morphed into a public wish list. It started innocently enough with my finding pictures of Howard Smith birds, and then I did a post about a collection of Vitra miniature chairs, which led me deeper down the rabbit hole of must-haves.

I might as well let out all the stops and post about all the things I've found the last few days that have gone on my To Buy list. Today it's all about trays in patterns by George Nelson, Charles and Ray Eames and Alexander Girard.

I'm torn between the first two, but the other two are equally delightful.

Classic tray: China Shop by George Nelson
vitra.com

Classic tray: The Family by Charles and Ray Eames
vitra.com

Classic tray: Sea Things by Charles and Ray Eames
vitra.com

Classic tray: Eden by Alexander Girard
vitra.com

Sunday, November 24, 2013

Something else to obsess about

The only downside I've found to blogging is finding too many things that I'd like to collect. If I were a normal collector, it might not be bad at all. Tom Giannini, the collector of Vitra miniatures I posted about the other day, said he watched eBay for five years before he found a listing for a particular chair he wanted.

Oh, to be that kind of collector! But, no...When I start a collection, I want it complete by the end of next week. Or sooner. My daughter and SIL roll their eyes at each other and say, "She's obsessing again." I prefer to say that patience has never been one of my virtues.

Looking at the Design Museum website...while writing the post about the Vitra miniature collection, in fact...I ran across Alexander Girard dolls. The description reads as follows:

Alexander Girard was one of the decisive figures in post-War American design...The focus of his broad oeuvre was on textile design, and a key source of inspiration for him was his passion for the popular art of South America, Asia and East Europe. The Wooden Dolls, which Girard created for his own home in Santa Fe and made himself, are likewise inspired by his own extensive collection of works of popular art. Half decorative element, half toy, the Wooden Dolls were originally intended only for personal use. Based on originals found in the Girard Estate held by the Vitra Design Museum, the partly playful, partly grim-looking company of dolls is now coming out as a charming enhancement to any interior.

Of course I want some of these, and I'm not sure I can wait till Christmas.

From design-museum.de

Collection of Alexander Girard dolls
meudecor.com

Here are my favorites, roughly in order of preference, in case my daugher or SIL happens to be reading my post today. (And stop rolling your eyes, Jenn.)

Girard doll #12
cooperhewitt.org

Girard doll #20
cooperhewitt.org

Girard doll #3
cooperhewitt.org

Girard doll #13
cooperhewitt.org

Girard doll #1
cooperhewitt.org

Girard doll #6
cooperhewitt.org

Girard doll #17
cooperhewitt.org

Girard doll #18
cooperhewitt.org

Girard doll #19
cooperhewitt.org

Girard doll #10
cooperhewitt.org

Tuesday, October 11, 2011

Marilyn Neuhart's T&O dolls

Marilyn Neuhart

The Albuquerque, New Mexico, store máXimo has reintroduced hand-made dolls created by Marilyn Neuhart, a designer and writer who worked closely with Alexander Girard and Charles and Ray Eames. (See older post about Neuhart's latest book, The Story of Eames Furniture.) The folk art style dolls were originally sold at Girard's Textiles & Objects Shop in New York City in the early 1960s. New printed dolls sell for $100, new embroidered dolls for $800 and vintage embroidered dolls for $1200 and up.

Marilyn Neuhart was born in Long Beach, California, and attended Long Beach public schools, Long Beach City College and UCLA. She has been a freelance designer in the Los Angeles area since her graduation from the university. She has taught design, painting and color theory at UCLA and UCLA Extension and at East Los Angeles Junior College. She and her husband John have worked together professionally since their marriage and have collaborated on numerous design projects, including graphics, films and exhibitions. From 1980 to 1998 they were partners in the design firm Neuhart Donges Neuhart, whose clients included the IBM Corporation, Herman Miller, Inc., The Huntington Library and Art Gallery, the Doheny Library, the J. Paul Getty Museum, the Government of Taiwan and local businesses and institutions. The Neuharts continue to work together in their office in El Segundo.

Neuhart says about her sewing:

I started to quilt when I was a small child sitting with my mother and my aunts over a quilting frame. I continued to sew, albeit intermittently, as I went through high school and college. After I left teaching for a period and with two small children, I became a fulltime freelance graphic designer and once again took up my needle in earnest. After making small cloth dolls for my children and friends, I made a doll for designer Alexander Girard, who asked me to make a large number of them the new Textiles & Objects shop he was designing in New York City for the Herman Miller Furniture Company. Over the next few years (in the early 1960's), I made nearly 2,000 dolls for the shop and for Girard's exhibition projects. And I am still sewing and quilting.

Text and images from maximodesign.com

New printed Benny Casa

New Billy Cat

New Angel Geneva

New Mermaid Meryl

Vintage stripe

Vintage jester

Vintage centaur

Monday, October 10, 2011

Alexander Girard

Alexander "Sandro" Girard (1907-1993) was an architect and textile designer born in New York City and raised in Florence, Italy. He studied at the Royal Institute of British Architects in London and at the Royal School of Architecture in Rome but came back to the United States to live and work.

In 1932 he opened his first architectural and interior design office in New York City. In 1937 he moved to Detroit and opened an office there. In 1949 he put together the "For Modern Living" show at the Detroit Institute of Arts.

In 1952 he was recruited by Charles Eames to be the director of design for the Herman Miller textile division. He held that position till 1973, during which time he created over 300 fabric and wallpaper designs.

In 1959 Girard designed the interior for the La Fonda del Sol restaurant in New York City's Time Life Building. The design featured dozens of stylized sun faces in vibrant colors, on everything from menus to tablecloths to the paper wrappers for the sugar cubes. Recently, Flor, manufacturer of modular floor coverings, released a collection featuring Girard's colorful suns.

In 1961 he opened the Textiles & Objects store in New York City. The store sold folk art that Girard had brought back from his travels around the world, as well as products made from his textiles and small furniture made by other Herman Miller designers. (Post to come about T&O dolls by Marilyn Neuhart.)

Girard was hired in 1965 to create a new corporate brand for Braniff Airlines, a project which consisted of 17,543 modifications, including changes to plane interiors, logos, stationery, condiment packages, dishes, blankets and playing cards. In 1967 Herman Miller released a small line of seating based on Girard's work for Braniff.

In the early 1960s Girard and his wife Susan moved to New Mexico, where they built one of the world's largest collections of folk art. Today the collection of over 100,000 pieces can be found in the Girard Wing of the Museum of International Folk Art in Santa Fe.

From hermanmiller.com, dwr.com, braniffpages.com, nytimes.com