Eames, Charles and Ray

(born June 17, 1907, St. Louis, Mo., U.S—died Aug. 21, 1978, St. Louis) (born Dec. 15, 1912, Sacramento, Calif.—died Aug. 21, 1988, Los Angeles, Calif.) U.S. designers. Charles was trained as an architect, while Ray (b. Ray Kaiser) studied painting with Hans Hofmann. After marrying in 1941, they moved to California, where they designed movie sets and researched the uses of plywood for furniture. In 1946 an exhibit of their furniture designs at the Museum of Modern Art, New York City, resulted in the mass production of their molded plywood chairs by the Herman Miller Furniture Co., and their furniture soon became known for its beauty, comfort, and elegance. After 1955 they made educational films, notably Powers of Ten (1969). They worked as design consultants to major U.S. corporations, including IBM.

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