Charles Eames and Ray Eames

CHARLES EAMES (U.S., 1907–1978) & Ray Eames (1912–1988)
Set of five “Wire DKR-2” chairs, designed in 1951.
Metal with black “bikini-style” upholstery.
They show signs of wear consistent with their age.
Measurements: 82 x 47 x 50 cm (x5); 42 cm (seat height, x5).
Set of five DKR-2 chairs, representing one of the most iconic types resulting from Charles and Ray Eames’ research into modern postwar furniture. Designed in 1951, the so-called Wire Chairs represent a particularly successful synthesis of industrial experimentation, visual lightness, and domestic functionality.
The frame, made of curved and welded metal rod, forms a latticework structure that simultaneously defines the backrest and the seat. It is combined with a base of steel rods arranged in a triangulated geometry, popularly known as the “Eiffel Tower,” whose configuration provides stability and strength with a minimal material footprint. The design is completed with a two-piece black upholstery set, called “Bikini,” which selectively covers the contact surfaces while leaving much of the metal structure visible. Beginning in the late 1940s, Charles and Ray Eames conducted extensive research into the manufacture of seating using molded materials and industrialized components. Following their experiments with molded plywood and fiberglass shells, the wire mesh chair introduced a new structural solution:
Charles Eames and Ray Eames were key figures in American modernism. Charles, an architect trained at Washington University in St. Louis, and Ray, an artist trained in painting and at the Cranbrook Academy of Art, developed an interdisciplinary collaboration that transformed 20th-century design. Their work stood out for its experimentation with molded plywood, fiberglass, and steel, as well as for their contributions to architecture, film, and exhibition design. Internationally recognized, their designs are part of the collections of institutions such as the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Centre Pompidou in Paris, and the Detroit Institute of Arts.