CHARLES AND RAY EAMES
Eames Elephant
DESIGNED BY CHARLES & RAY EAMES, 1945
The elephant that Charles and Ray Eames initially developed out of plywood in 1945 is available in plastic – as a toy or decorative object in a variety of colors, and not just for children's rooms. The Miniatures Collection encapsulates the entire history of industrial furniture design - moving from Historicism and Art Nouveau to the New Objectivity of Bauhaus and Radical Design, and from Postmodernism all the way up to the present day. Exactly one-sixth of the size of the historical originals, the miniatures are all true to scale and precisely recreate the smallest details of construction, material, and color.
The high standard of authenticity even extends to the natural grain of the wood, the reproduction of screws and the elaborate handicraft techniques involved. This has made the miniatures into popular collector's items as well as ideal illustrative material for universities, design schools, and architects.
Size: W41x D78 x H41
Material: plywood
Pre-order item
STORIES
Charles and Ray Eames were fascinated by elephants. Many images of these gentle giants are found in Charles' photographic documentations of Indian culture and the circus world. The Eames Elephant was designed as a toy for children, but also as a striking sculptural object that makes a statement in any environment with its vigorous curves and delightful character.
In the early 1940s, Charles and Ray Eames spent several years developing and refining a technique for molding plywood into three-dimensional shapes, creating a series of furniture items and sculptures in the process. Among these initial designs, the two-part elephant proved to be the most technically challenging due to its tight compound curves, and the piece never went into serial production. One prototype, which was given to Charles's 14-year-old daughter Lucia Eames, was loaned to the Museum of Modern Art in New York for a 1946 exhibition. It is still in the possession of the Eames family today.