alexander girard. a designer's universe exhibition at the vitra design museum

alexander girard. a designer’s universe exhibition at the vitra design museum

image courtesy of vitra design museum 

alexander girard. a designer’s universe

vitra design museum, germany

march 12, 2016 to february 29, 2017

‘alexander girard. a designer’s universe‘ at the vitra design museum presents the private legacy of alexander girard (1907–1993) – one of the most influential textile artists and interior designers of the twentieth century. the exhibition has been created by the london-based studio raw edges, headed by shay alkalay and yael mer, who have explored girard’s work through furniture, models, objects, interiors, documents and drawings which have never been previously shown before. 

the designer worked within many creative fields, including illustration, graphic, exhibition, interior and furniture design. girard is renowned for his bold and colourful prints, which contain a fun and playful feel. each piece expresses the designer’s unique style through his use of retro shapes and cheerful energy.

raised in a cosmopolitan family with european and american roots, he grew up in florence, studied architecture in london, and then lived in new york and michigan before eventually settling in santa fe. practising from the late 1920s until the late 1970s, he created stunning interiors for restaurants, private clients and corporations, as well as more than 300 textile designs – mostly for the american furniture company herman miller after becoming director of its textile division in 1951.  girard’s clients also included companies like braniff international airways and john deere for which he handled a broad range of design activities – from interior design, textiles, furnishings and small objects to typography, corporate design and exhibitions.

‘daisy face’ and ‘girls’ environmental enrichment panel for herman miller 1971

image courtesy of vitra design museum

a very important source of inspiration for girard was his collection of folk art objects which he collected through his travels in mexico, india, egypt and many other countries. in total the designer collected more than 100,000 artefacts, many of these objects have been used by girard for his furniture design. in 1996, the vitra design museum took possession of girard’s personal estate. the holdings encompass 5,000 drawings and photographs respectively, many never before shown personal sketches, several hundred textile samples, accessories, furniture items and folk art objects.

‘the nativity’ poster for nelson gallery of art, 1962  

image courtesy of vitra design museum

alexander girard, arm chair for herman miller furniture

image courtesy of vitra design museum

poncho, designed by rudi gernreich and alexander girard for the restaurant la fonda del sol 1961

image courtesy of vitra design museum

interior for miller house, columbus, indiana, usa, alexander girard, 1953–1957

image courtesy of vitra design museum

interior design for miller cottage, muskoka, ontario, kanada, alexander girard, 1950–1952

image courtesy of the library of congress

alexander girard, in his studio in the early 1950s

image courtesy of charles eames 

alexander girard and his family posing with items from his folk art collection, 1952

image courtesy of ezra stoller

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