Eames Lounge Chair Vitra Miller Cassina Knoll Sessel Bauhaus De Sede Classicon Original Design Ich biete einen originalen Lounge Chair aus dem Hause des europäischen Lizenzrechteinhabers Vitra vom US-amerikanischen Designer-Ehepaar, Charles & Ray Eames...Sculptor, furniture and jewelry designer, graphic artist and metalsmith, Harry Bertoia was one of the great cross-disciplinarians of 20th-century art and design and a central figure in American modernism. Among furniture aficionados he is known for the wire-lattice “Diamond” chair (and its variants such as the tall-backed “Bird” chair) designed for Knoll Inc. and first released in 1952. As an artist, Bertoia is revered for a style that was his alone. Bertoia’s metal sculptures are by turns expressive and austere, powerful and subtle, intimate in scale and monumental. All embody a tension between the intricacy and precision of Bertoia’s forms and the raw strength of his materials: steel, brass, bronze and copper. Fortune seemed to guide Bertoia’s artistic development.
Born in northeastern Italy, Bertoia immigrated to the United States at age 15, joining an older brother in Detroit. He studied drawing and metalworking in the gifted student program at Cass Technical High School. Recognition led to awards that culminated, in 1937, in a teaching scholarship to attend the Cranbrook Academy of Art in suburban Bloomfield Hills, one of the great crucibles of modernism in America. There, Bertoia made friendships — with architect Eero Saarinen, designers Charles and Ray Eames and Florence Schust Knoll and others — that shaped the course of his life. He taught metalworking at Cranbrook, and when materials rationing during World War II limited the availability of metals, Bertoia focused on jewelry design. He also experimented with monotype printmaking, and 19 of his earliest efforts were bought by the Guggenheim Museum. In 1943, he left Cranbrook to work in California with the Eameses, helping them develop their now-famed plywood furniture. (Bertoia received scant credit.)
Late in that decade, Florence and Hans Knoll persuaded him to move east and join Knoll Inc. His chairs became, and remain, perennial bestsellers. Royalties allowed Bertoia to devote himself full-time to metal sculpture, a medium he began to explore in earnest in 1947. By the early 1950s Bertoia was receiving commissions for large-scale works from architects — the first came via Saarinen — as he refined his aesthetic vocabulary into two distinct skeins. One comprises his “sounding sculptures” — gongs and “Sonambient” groupings of rods that strike together and chime when touched by hand or by the wind. The other genre encompasses Bertoia’s naturalistic works: abstract sculptures that suggest bushes, flower petals, leaves, dandelions or sprays of grass. As you will see on these pages, Harry Bertoia was truly unique; his art and designs manifest a wholly singular combination of delicacy and strength.Diese Stühle machen sich in unserer Küche am kleinen Essplatz sehr gut, sie sind robust und leicht abwaschbar, was bei kleinen Kindern natürlich gut ist.
- Photo Courtesy of Wright The most valuable Eames pieces date from the first decade of production: 1946-1956. But pieces from the later ’50s to the early ’60s can have collectible value, too. The good news is “a lot of the work is signed,” Wright says. About 70% of the pieces had paper decals, so the first thing to look for on the underside of a chair or table, or the inside a cabinet drawer, is a sticker (or the remnants of one). “Not being marked doesn’t mean something’s a fake,” Wright cautions – labeling was a little...- Photo Courtesy Wright The paper stickers varied, depending on the year and article of furniture. But they were usually colored red, cream or black (or a combination). They usually say “Charles Eames” or “Designed by Charles Eames.” They bear in the name of the manufacturer: Herman Miller Furniture Company, with its logo – it looks like a pair of stylized antlers, or a two-pronged crown. Underneath is written Zeeland, Michigan or Venice, California, the locales of the company’s factories.
(Be wary if you see anything... Eames Label on Fiberglass Chair. Objects made with molded fiberglass, like the famous bucket and shell chairs mid-century furniture collectors clamor to own, often have decals bearing the name “Zenith Plastics” still intact. Another name to watch for: Tigrette, which made the Eames line of toys. Label on Wooden Eames Chair. On wooden chairs, tables and recliners, the sticker often includes the name “Evans” – the Evans Product Company manufactured the plywood the Eames used so artfully. This shouldn't be confused with mid-century designer Paul Evans. The underside of a piece may also have three letters stamped, impressed or hand-written on it – something like LCW, DAX, DCM. These are the model names. Eames pieces were named military-fashion, Wright notes, with three-letter abbreviations. “LCW” stands for “Low... Eames Chair with Wear Patina. Do ask if a piece has its original finish. In keeping with their mantra of functional furniture, the Eames weren’t into fancy finishes;
so a piece should have a soft patina, further augmented by the passage of decades. The earliest furniture was in muted colors; bright saturated hues came in later. But whatever the color, “a real warning sign is if a piece is too band-box fresh, too gleaming,” says Wright. “It should look a little worn, show its age – that’s desirable.” Looking old is one thing, but – as with any antique or collectible – condition does matter. And the more original that condition, the better. Even such details as whether the screws on a piece have ever been loosened can affect a piece’s value. (“Some Eames collectors do get into minutiae,” Wright allows.) Some repair-oriented changes – such as a new rubber feet tips or shock mounts to replace dried-out or cracked ones – don’t matter that much. Still, perfection commands a price. Eames Upholstered Chair, 1950. Because they were mass-produced, there are a lot of examples of Eames furniture out there – so, many items are not extremely expensive (at least, by antique furniture standards).
But some models were less common than others. So, in terms of pricing, “it does become about rarities,” Wright says. At his auction, the chair pictured left fetched $2,000 – while a pair of similar ones, the same model from the same year with the same sticker and in basically the same condition, collectively brought... Eames Billy Wilder Chaise, 1968. The Eames designed furniture for both offices and homes. If you’re acquiring mainly for investment value, focus on the latter. “The office furniture is generally worth less, has less collector cachet,” Wright notes. That’s partly due to popularity – “most of their greatest hits were designed for the home” – and scarcity: Herman Miller began phasing out the residential furniture line in 1965, but continued making the business line. In 1994, the company launched the Herman Miller for the Home... Eames Storage Unit Product Catalog. As with any area of collectibles – if you’re serious, study the field and educate yourself.