Eames Behind-the-Scenes: Private Gallery Tour

Please join the Society of Architectural Historians/Southern California Chapter for a behind-the-scenes look at "Collecting Eames: The JF Chen Collection" with curator Daniel Ostroff. We'll have the pleasure of seeing and learning about the largest and most diverse Eames collection in the United States-450 pieces, as Joel Chen welcomes us to the gallery prior to opening to the public for the day. This unprecedented collection stems from the earliest furniture example-a 1939 Eames-Saarinen chair for the Kleinhans Music Hall-to the latest, a Vitra-made Eames La Chaise of the 1990s. The collection includes rare posters, toys, graphics, and exceptional examples of "signed" Eames work throughout the long career of Charles and Ray Eames. A companion book is also available. .. The exhibition design includes a time-line of chairs as well as furniture vignettes. Of interest to SAH/SCC members familiar with our "Modern Patrons" series, is a suite of furniture that had belonged to one family who used the pieces for 55 consecutive years in six different homes. .. The formation of this vast collection was accompanied by JF Chen's generous contribution to Eames scholarship. Chen commissioned 6,000 photographs, documenting every aspect of these important designs, and donated the photographs to the Eames Office for their new website, www.eamesdesigns.com, a virtual encyclopedia of all things Eames. .. In this exhibition, Ostroff offers new perspectives on Eames connoisseurship and scholarship through a intricate study of this rare and significant collection. .. Eames Behind-the-Scenes: Saturday, December 17, 2011; 10AM; JF Chen, 941 N. Highland Ave., Los Angeles; $15 for SAH/SCC Members; $30 for non-members. Advance tickets required. .. More information at 1-800-9SAH/SCC or www.sahscc.org