Vitra Design Museum honors Alexander Girard with upcoming retrospective
From March 12, 2016, to January 29, 2017, Vitra Design Museum in Weil-am-Rhein, Germany, will be showcasing the work of interior and textile designer Alexander Girard.
The designer, who died in 1993, is considered one of the most prolific of the 20th century, with work reflecting a love of color and a keen interest in folk art. His work had a deep impact on the aesthetics of post-war American design, and is being celebrated in a new exhibition at Vitra Design Museum this spring, offering the first comprehensive retrospective of his work in Europe.
"Alexander Girard. A Designer's Universe" will include key pieces from the designer's oeuvre, as well as items that have never before been on public display, including textiles, furnishings, small objects, personal documents and drawings.
The exhibition will explore how the designer drew inspiration from his contemporaries, such as Charles & Ray Eames, as well as from his extensive collection of folk art objects, built up during travels in Mexico, India and Egypt. Over the course of his life, Alexander Girard accumulated more than 100,000 artefacts.
After growing up in Florence then studying architecture in London, Alexander Girard practiced from 1930 to 1970, creating designs for restaurants, private clients and companies. He also created over 300 textile designs for the Herman Miller furniture company, after becoming director of the firm's textile division in 1951.
His most famous works include the Irwin Miller House in Columbus, Indiana, USA, his own house in Santa Fe, New Mexico, and New York restaurants La Fonda Del Sol and L'Étoile.
While Alexander Girard famously worked on large-scale designs for various companies, he also created influential works on a much smaller scale, such as the "Love" motif, which remains one of his best-known pieces.
"Alexander Girard. A Designer's Universe" runs from March 12, 2016, to January 29, 2017, at Vitra Design Museum.
For more information visit: www.design-museum.de
