cognac leather sofa, handmade by Eileen Gray, 1980/1990
About the Item
- Creator:Eileen Gray (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 24.02 in (61 cm)Width: 74.81 in (190 cm)Depth: 33.47 in (85 cm)Seat Height: 16.54 in (42 cm)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:1980-1989
- Date of Manufacture:1980
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:Manzano, IT
- Reference Number:
Eileen Gray
Designer, artist and architect Eileen Gray was one of the most fascinating creative figures of the 20th century. Her body of work includes lustrous lacquered pieces — her Dragons chair set an auction record for modern furniture ($28 million) at the 2009 sale of the Yves Saint Laurent estate — and sleek chrome furnishings that rival the work of Le Corbusier and the members of the Bauhaus as exemplars of pure, modernist design.
The independent and unconventional daughter of Irish landed gentry, Gray studied painting at London’s Slade School of Fine Art in her early twenties before moving to Paris in 1906 to pursue her artistic dreams. Gray had become captivated by lacquerware after seeing an exhibit in the Victoria & Albert Museum, and in Paris persuaded an expatriate Japanese master of the painstaking process, Seizo Sugawara, to teach her. Within a few years, Gray had become known among the cognoscenti for her sculptural lacquered furnishings, which she incorporated into the homes of interior design clients.
Gray was ever evolving as a designer. By the early 1920s she was creating geometric works that embodied the essence of Art Deco and the nascent modernist design movement. Some pieces — such as her Bricks screen, an assemblage of pivoting rectangular panels — employ the planar forms favored by Gerrit Rietveld and other De Stijl architects of the Netherlands. Others feature the tubular chrome framing used by Marcel Breuer and Ludwig Mies van der Rohe. These include the Bibendum chair — named for the resemblance of its semicircular back and armrest to the character known in English as the Michelin Man — and the adjustable E 1027 side table, conceived in 1927 for the interiors of a stark white villa she designed for herself in the South of France.
Never a self-promoter, Gray drifted out of the limelight in the 1930s. Interest in her work was revived in the early ’70s, however, when the estates of her early clients came to auction. Her original lacquer pieces are the most coveted, but, as the sale of the Dragons chair shows, are rare and extremely expensive.
None of Gray’s designs were made in large numbers until, a few years before her death, she granted a production license. These pieces range in price from $1,000 to $2,500, depending on furniture type and condition. Gray’s work has become iconic of practical and elegant modernist design. Yet, as you will see on 1stDibs, many of her creations have a simplicity that makes them welcome even in a traditional setting.
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Ships From: MANZANO, Italy
- Return PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 14 days of delivery.
- Daybed sofa, handmade by Eileen Gray, 1980/1990By Eileen GrayLocated in Manzano, ITChrome-plated tubular steel frame, polyurethane rubber cushions and dacrom, fabric-covered Measurements H61 x W190 x D85 - Hsit 42cm - Kg40 PIECES 1 DESIGN PERIOD 1980/19...Category
Vintage 1980s German Settees
MaterialsFabric, Rubber
- Red leather 3-seater Business Class sofa with chrome iron feet, 1990sLocated in Manzano, IT3-seater Business Class sofa in red leather and chrome iron feet,1990s Beauty Star upholstered sofa , made in Italy, with shapes that emphasize reliability and excellent choice for ...Category
1990s Italian Sofas
MaterialsIron
- Serenade corner sofa by Tito Agnoli for Frau, 1980sBy Tito AgnoliLocated in Manzano, ITSerenade corner sofa by Tito Agnoli for Frau in blue leather and goose down, 1980s PIECES 3 DESIGN PERIOD 1980-1989 YEAR OF PRODUCTION 1980 COUNTRY OF PROD...Category
Vintage 1980s Italian Sofas
MaterialsLeather, Fabric, Feathers
- Frau leather sofa Cognac '80s/'90sBy Paltrona FrauLocated in Manzano, ITFrau Sofa In cognac-colored leather 1980/1990 Frau sofa in cognac-colored leather 1980-1990. Walnut-stained wood frame and legs. Fully removable cover, goose down interior. English I...Category
Vintage 1980s Italian Armchairs
MaterialsLeather, Wood, Feathers
- 70s red sofaLocated in Manzano, ITRed faux leather 1970s sofa with black iron frame and buttoned backrestCategory
Vintage 1970s Sofas
MaterialsMetal
- 3-seater sofa / bed Anfibio, by Alessandro Becchi for Giovannetti CollectionsBy Alessandro BecchiLocated in Manzano, IT3-seater sofa / bed Anfibio, by Alessandro Becchi for Giovannetti Collections, 1970s Designed in 1970, the Amphibious sofa-bed has been called by critics of all over the world a...Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Sofas
MaterialsIron
- LOTA Sofa by Eileen GrayBy Eileen GrayLocated in Berlin, BerlinSofa, designed by Eileen Gray. Germany, Classicon, 1990s. The LOTA sofa, designed by Eileen Gray, produced by Classicon in Munich. Sofa with black lacquer...Category
1990s German Modern Sofas
MaterialsWool, Wood
- 1980s Black Leather Eileen Gray LOTA Sofa by ALIVAR Made In ItalyBy Eileen Gray, AlivarLocated in Monrovia, CAThe LOTA Sofa Is The Iconic Eileen Gray 1924 Design For The Small Apartment In Rue De Lota, Paris. This 1980s LOTA Sofa Is A Black Leather Sofa With 4 Large Down Filled Leather Cushi...Category
Late 20th Century Italian Art Deco Sofas
MaterialsLeather, Wood
- Eileen Gray "Monte Carlo" Leather & Chrome SofaBy Eileen GrayLocated in Los Angeles, CAEileen Gray "Monte Carlo" Leather & Chrome SofaCategory
Early 2000s German Mid-Century Modern Sofas
MaterialsSteel
- Customizable ClassiCon Lota Sofa by Eileen GrayBy Eileen GrayLocated in New York, NYThe apartment of Madame Mathieu-Levy on Rue de Lota in Paris was regarded as one of the most sensational examples of French interior architecture of the 1920s. Eileen Gray had create...Category
21st Century and Contemporary German Modern Sofas
MaterialsFabric
- Black Leather Monte Carlo Sofa by Eileen Gray for ClassiConBy Eileen GrayLocated in Brooklyn, NYDesigned by the Irish-Scottish architect and designer Eileen Gray in 1929, the Monte Carlo sofa is a true icon of Modern Design and enshrines Gray's c...Category
Mid-20th Century Sofas
MaterialsChrome
- 1980s Eileen Gray "Lota" Sofa for ClassiCon in Black Leather and Lacquered WoodBy Eileen GrayLocated in Philadelphia, PAThis is a “Lota” sofa, designed by Eileen Gray in 1924. This particular sofa was manufactured by ClassiCon in the 1980s, and bears a label with Gray’s signature. Gray designed the Lo...Category
Vintage 1980s French Modern Sofas
MaterialsMetal
Recently Viewed
View AllRead More
Eileen Gray’s Famed Cliffside Villa in the South of France Is Returned to Its Modernist Glory
After years of diligent restoration, E-1027, the designer-cum-architect’s marriage of romance and modernism, is finally complete.
Eileen Gray’s Deco Designs Launched Modernism. That Was Just the Beginning
Decades after her death, appreciation for the legendary designer and architect's work continues to flourish.