Eileen Gray, born in 1878 in Ireland, was an architect and interior and furniture designer who went down in history as an emblem of modernism. Her serious artistic training began in 1900 at the Slade School in London, a bohemian school where there were mixed courses, something unusual for the time. During her years at this London school, Eileen met furniture restorer Dean Charles, who introduced her to the technique of lacquering, for which she would later become renowned.
Around 1908 she settled in Paris, where she bought an apartment on rue Bonaparte. There she began training with Seizo Sugawara, a master lacquer artist and sculptor originally from the Japanese town of Jōbōji. Gray was so dedicated to the craft that he even suffered from the so-called lacquer disease in his hands, an annoying thickening and hardening of the skin. However, this did not hinder him: two years later he opened a workshop with Sugawara and by 1912 he was producing commissioned pieces for some of the wealthiest Parisians.
With critics and finances on her side, Eileen Gray managed to open her own shop in 1922, Jean Désert, on Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré. The name referred to an imaginary male owner, Jean, and his love of the North African desert. Gray herself designed the storefront. In the store she sold the abstract, geometric rugs she designed that were woven in Evelyn Wyld's workshops. Among her customers were writers James Joyce and Ezra Pound and Italian fashion designer Elsa Schiaparelli. Sadly, Jean Désert closed in 1930 due to financial losses.
Façade of the Jean Désert store. Source: centrepompidou.fr
In his early days, Gray used exotic woods, ivory and furs in his pieces. By the mid-1920s, his works became simpler and took on a more industrial approach. This shift is explained by his interest in the work of architect Le Corbusier and the modernists, artists who valued utility and mathematical principles over ornamentation.
Le salon de verre, designed by Paul Ruaud, with furniture by Eileen Gray. Source: royalacademy.org.uk
By 1921, Eileen Gray was romantically involved with Romanian architect and writer Jean Badovici, who continued to fuel her growing interest in architecture. From then on, Gray began informal learning of the discipline with theoretical and technical books, technical drawing classes, and trips with Badovici to study buildings and restructure architectural designs.
In 1926, Gray began work on a new vacation residence located in the coastal town of Roquebrune-Cap-Martin, near Monaco, which he would share with Badovici. The famous E-1027 house was built in three years, during which time Gray remained on site personally overseeing the entire process. The name of the house, in code, represents the couple's names: the E, for Eileen; the 10, for Jean's J, the tenth letter of the alphabet; the 2, for Badovici's B; the 7, for Gray's G.
Exterior view of house E-1027. Source: ©ManuelBougot
House E-1027 is a white cube built on rocky ground and raised on stilts. It is based on the five points of a new architecture proposed by Le Corbusier: it is a free-plan dwelling, raised on pillars, with horizontal windows, an open facade and a terrace with stair access. Gray devised very particular functional furniture to furnish it: he designed a tea trolley with a cork surface to prevent the cups from rattling; he placed mirrors so that visitors could see the back of their heads; he created a celluloid niche for hats with net shelves that allowed the contents to be seen without dust accumulating on the surface.
Interior view of the E-1027 house. Source: ©ManuelBougot
The couple separated in 1932 and Gray began working on other projects. Around that time, Le Corbusier used to stay at the house as a guest of Badovici, who was officially the owner, and between 1938 and 1939 he painted several murals on its walls. This was against Gray's wishes, who had expressed his wish that the property be kept free of any decoration. In the house E-1027 Le Corbusier left his pictorial work and also his life: in 1965, at the age of seventy-seven, he died of a heart attack while swimming off the coast. Although he had heart problems and had been advised not to go swimming alone, he decided to do so anyway, and his body was found lifeless shortly after.
Le Corbusier rests next to his mural. Source: architectmagazine.com
There were many pieces of furniture that Gray designed and that continue to be relevant and desired by fans: his renowned day bed, a chaise longue with clean lines, balanced proportions and incomparable elegance; the Brick Screen, with its modular structure of black lacquered panels joined with metal pins, a true sculptural piece; and the E-1027 side table, a cult work with a tubular chromed steel structure and adjustable glass surface.
Eileen Gray's most recognized works. Source: royalacademy.org.uk
Eileen Gray's great works of architecture and design remain; but, above all of them, the most valuable remains: her own life. Alone and at her own pace, she took on the world at a time when it was not easy for a woman to desire great things, much less in a discipline whose leaders were men. Always faithful to her desire, she developed a vast production through which it is possible for us to glimpse her soul and her ideas just by stopping to contemplate her.
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