Eames Institute

Ray and Charles introduced fiberglass shell chairs with ganging and stacking bases for in 1954. This promotional illustrates both aspects of the expanded functionality offered by the new design—albeit with some adventurous behavior that would be unsanctioned in most institutional settings!

𝐔𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐭𝐥𝐞𝐝, 𝐑𝐚𝐲 𝐄𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐬, 𝟏𝟗𝟑𝟕

Ray became a founding member of the AAA (American Abstract Artists) to support modern art when museums and galleries refused to display it, participated in AAA’s inaugural exhibition in 1937, and was published in their subsequent catalogs for 1938 and 1939. She would later write, “My interest in painting is the rediscovery of form through movement and balance and depth and light—using this medium to recreate, in a satisfying order, my experiences of this world with a desire to increase our pleasure, expand our perceptions, enrich our lives.” This untitled still life (w/ 🍐) dates from her years studying at the Hans Hofmann School of Fine Arts in New York City.