- Designer
- Charles Eames
United States, active United States, California, Venice, 1907-1978 - Designer
- Ray Eames
United States, active United States, California, Venice, 1912-1988 - Title
- LAR (low lounge chair, rod base)
- Date Made
- designed 1948-1950; this example made c 1951
- Medium
- Fiberglass, steel, rubber
- Dimensions
- 23 × 24 1/2 × 25 in. (58.42 × 62.23 × 63.5 cm)
- Accession Number
- M.2014.202
- Collecting Area
- Decorative Arts and Design
- Curatorial Notes
Fiberglass was developed during World War II for use in airplane nose cones and radar domes. After the war, Los Angelesbased designers Charles and Ray Eames collaborated with nearby Zenith Plastics to find commercial applications for the new material. Their ultimate goal was a single-material chair—one that could be produced by machine (in this case, a hydraulic press) and did not require the complicated assembly typical of joined wood furniture. Truth to materials was an important value, so they insisted that the surface not be concealed by upholstery or decoration, but that the texture and color of the fiberglass seat be an integral part of the design. While this process did not allow for a continuous seat and legs made of plastic, it did offer another opportunity—variety within industrial production. The Eameses designed several different bases to attach to the bottom of the plastic seat shell. This example has the “low rod” base intended for lounging, but other models had more upright wood and wire bases for use as dining or sitting chairs.
Bobbye Tigerman
2024
- Selected Exhibition History
- California Design, 1930–1965: "Living in a Modern Way". October 1, 2011 - June 3, 2012
- California Design, 1930–1965: "Living in a Modern Way". March 20, 2013 - June 3, 2013
- California Design, 1930–1965: "Living in a Modern Way". July 6, 2013 - September 29, 2013
- California Design, 1930–1965: "Living in a Modern Way". November 2, 2013 - February 9, 2014
- California Design, 1930–1965: "Living in a Modern Way". March 29, 2014 - July 6, 2014