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Collections

Charles Eames
ESU (Eames storage unit), 400 seriescirca 1949; manufactured 1950-1955

Not on view
Freestanding modular shelving unit with silver metal pole frame, honey-toned wood shelves, and colored panels in red, yellow, navy, and cream, with three yellow-fronted drawers at center

Charles Eames, Ray Eames, Eames Office, Herman Miller Furniture Company, ESU (Eames storage unit), 400 series, circa 1949; manufactured 1950-1955, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Gift of Mr. Sid Avery and Mr. James Corcoran, photo © Museum Associates/LACMA

Designer
Charles Eames
United States, active United States, California, Venice, 1907-1978
Designer
Ray Eames
United States, active United States, California, Venice, 1912-1988
Design Firm
Eames Office
United States, California, Venice, 1941-1988
Manufacturer
Herman Miller Furniture Company
United States, Michigan, Zeeland, founded 1923
Title
ESU (Eames storage unit), 400 series
Place Made
United States
Date Made
circa 1949; manufactured 1950-1955
Medium
Zinc-plated steel, birch-faced and plastic-coated plywood, lacquered particle board, rubber
Dimensions
69 x 47 x 16 in. (175.26 x 119.38 x 40.64 cm)
Credit Line
Gift of Mr. Sid Avery and Mr. James Corcoran
Accession Number
M.86.105
Classification
Furnishings
Collecting Area
Decorative Arts and Design
Curatorial Notes

This storage unit was designed shortly after Charles and Ray Eames completed their renowned home in Pacific Palisades. The Eameses built their house entirely of standardized steel columns and joists, significantly reducing construction costs. Like the house, the Eames Storage Units were modular and expandable, and were made of off-the-shelf parts.



(California Design, 1930–1965: "Living in a Modern Way," 2011-12)

Selected Bibliography

  • Barron, Stephanie, S. Bernstein and I. S. Fort, with essays by Stephanie Barron, Sherri Bernstein, M. Dear, Howard N. Fox and Richard Rodriguez. Made in California: Art, Image, and Identity, 1900-2000. Los Angeles: Los Angeles County Museum of Art and Berkeley: University of California Press, Berkeley, 2000.

  • Los Angeles County Museum of Art. New York: Thames and Hudson, 2003.
  • Kaplan, Wendy, ed. California Design, 1930-1965: Living in a Modern Way. Los Angeles: Los Angeles County Museum of Art; Cambridge, Mass.: MIT Press, 2011.
  • Kaplan, Wendy, ed. Living in a Modern Way: California Design, 1930-1965. Los Angeles: Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 2013.
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
Copyright
© Eames Office LLC; © Herman Miller, Inc.

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