Alexander Girard (1907–1993) was one of the most influential textile artists and interior designers of the twentieth century.
A Designer’s Universe
Alexander Girard’s irony, its mix of colors, ornaments and folk art recounted at the Vitra Design Museum through fabrics, furniture, interiors, documents and drawings.
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- 11 March 2016
- Weil am Rhein
He created worlds of colourful opulence in which everything was precisely and artfully coordinated, from the smallest details to the big picture.
Examples include the Irwin Miller House in Columbus, Indiana (1953; architect Eero Saarinen) and the legendary restaurant La Fonda del Sol (1960) in New York. Girard designed furniture, small objects and fabrics, worked for companies like Herman Miller and Braniff International Airways and collaborated with such designers as Charles & Ray Eames and George Nelson. This major retrospective of Girard’s oeuvre draws on the Vitra Design Museum’s holdings from his private estate and presents furniture, textiles and sculptures as well as numerous sketches, drawings and collages never shown before.
In addition to his own designs, it presents the creative universe from which Girard took his inspiration: folk art from all over the world, which the designer collected throughout his life. A selection of 300 objects from his collection is also featured in the exhibition.
March 12, 2016 – January 29, 2017
Alexander Girard. A Designer’s Universe
curated by Jochen Eisenbrand and Sarah Wirth
Vitra Design Museum
Weil am Rhein