Advertisement

Plaque unveiled in Paris to Irish designer Eileen Gray

A plaque has been unveiled in Paris to Irish designer and architect Eileen Gray. Born in Wexford ...
Newstalk
Newstalk

15.40 7 Sep 2016


Share this article


Plaque unveiled in Paris to Ir...

Plaque unveiled in Paris to Irish designer Eileen Gray

Newstalk
Newstalk

15.40 7 Sep 2016


Share this article


A plaque has been unveiled in Paris to Irish designer and architect Eileen Gray.

Born in Wexford in 1878, she is regarded as one of the most influential designers of the 20th century.

She spent her childhood in London before moving to Paris in 1902.

Advertisement

Renowned in France as a furniture and interior designer, she began to experiment with architectural forms in the late 1920s.

She took traditional crafts and combined them in a radical manner.

Plaque unveiled by Ireland's Ambassador to France Geraldine Byrne Nason (left) | Image via @IrlEmbParis on Twitter

She was the first designer to work in chrome - preceding such others as Le Corbusier, Charlotte Perriand, Mies Van der Rohe, and Marcel Breuer.

In her interior design, she unified modern furniture with dramatic, minimalist interiors through the use of colours, textures and materials.

During her lifetime, just one exhibition was dedicated to her in Ireland.

21 Rue Bonaparte | Image via @IrlEmbParis on Twitter

"Eileen Gray, Pioneer of Design" was held at the Bank of Ireland in the summer of 1973, organised by the Royal Institute of the Architects of Ireland.

They later presented her with an honourary fellowship.

While an exhibition housed in the National Museum of Ireland posthumously realised one of her last ambitions - to have her work brought back to her home.

Today a plaque was unveiled in her memory at 21 Rue Bonaparte in the French capital by Ireland's Ambassador Geraldine Byrne Nason.

Gray lived there from 1907 to 1976, the year of her death.

Eileen Gray is seen in this undated photo | Image: National Museum of Ireland

Share this article


Read more about

News

Most Popular