The World of Charles and Ray Eames

Photography, film, architecture, exhibition-making, furniture and product design - experience design as a way of life thorough the work of two of the most influential designers of the 20th century

Enthusiastic and tireless experimenters, the husband and wife duo Charles and Ray Eames founded The Eames Office as a laboratory of ideas where, along with numerous collaborators, they produced an array of pioneering designs. Communicating their projects with a boundless creativity that defined their careers, the Eameses embraced the joy of trial and error and approached design as a way of life.

From personal letters, photographs, drawings and artwork, to their products, models, multi-media installations and furniture, The World of Charles and Ray Eames included not only the designs for which they are best known, but provided an insight into the lives of the Eameses, the Eames Office and the breadth of their ground-breaking work across many fields, bringing their ideas and playful spirit to life.

Tagged with: Art & design Art Gallery Archive

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Reviews

‘Radical diversity fills the Barbican’s gallery with all manner of objects, including specially built room interiors and models, reformatted films as well as love letters between the dynamic couple‘

Evening Standard

‘With over 380 works, you’ll see how they changed architecture, graphic art and – of course – interior design as a whole‘

ELLEUK.com

‘The Eameses’ oeuvre really does assert a phenomenal influence on the way many of us live today‘

Daily Telegraph

‘A comprehensive retrospective with a gorgeous range of objects and ephemera illustrating the Eames's astonishingly rich and productive life‘

The Spectator

‘An honest, insightful and multifaceted curation of the Eameses extraordinary catalogue, incorporating their best-loved design pieces, personal insights and the Eames Office‘

Decoist Architecture & Interior Design

‘As the cornucopian new exhibition at the Barbican confirms, as does a substantial and resplendent catalogue, their talent was prodigious and abundant‘

The Observer

‘The show invites us to revisit their legacy while also getting some pretty good tips on how best to redecorate the living room‘

Time Out London

Discover

Watch: A Journey Through The World of Charles and Ray Eames

We fly through The World of Charles and Ray Eames exhibition, hearing from curator Catherine Ince, assistant curator Lotte Johnson and Eames Office director, Eames Demetrios as we tour the gallery space.

Listen: Audio for Travelling To The World of Charles and Ray Eames

Travel to a place where design is a way of life with curator Catherine Ince and Lotte Johnson and director of the Eames Office, Eames Demetrios, alongside archive audio from the Eameses work.