The Eames Foundation is on a mission to save its modernist headquarters Eames House, an architectural masterpiece designed by Charles and Ray Eames after the Second World War.
The California-based foundation has teamed up with the digital marketing agency Nebo to produce limited-edition prints for auction in its latest fund-raising scheme.
Anyone interested in owning a piece of the Eames legacy can purchase one of a run of 500 prints inspired by the simple geometry of the Eames’ mid-century designs. The prints are priced at $75 (about £48), with a goal of raising $150,000 (about £97,000) to help preserve the house for the next 250 years.
Nearly 70 years old, the Eames House is one of roughly two dozen designer homes built under the Case Study House Program spearheaded by Arts and Architecture magazine in the mid-1940s. Charles and Ray designed their submission for hypothetical empty nesters working in the graphic arts.
It was intended, according to the brief, ‘to express man’s life in the modern world,’ but in today’s reality, it needs a renovation.
The prints are available for sale through a fundraising website designed by Nebo. Every donation will be matched by an Authenticity Fund created by modern furniture manufacturers Herman Miller and Vitra.
Located in the Pacific Palisades in Los Angeles, the former home and studio of the husband-and-wife design team serves today as the headquarters for the Eames Foundation. Photography: Genevieve Fong
Located in the Pacific Palisades in Los Angeles, the former home and studio of the husband-and-wife design team serves today as the headquarters for the Eames Foundation. Photography: Genevieve Fong
The house sits atop a woodland bluff and is characterised by its Mondrian-inspired exterior. Photography: Genevieve Fong
The house sits atop a woodland bluff and is characterised by its Mondrian-inspired exterior. Photography: Genevieve Fong
The prints come in hand-numbered editions of 500, priced at $75 each. Two of the artworks in the series are emblazoned with quotes from Charles Eames
The prints come in hand-numbered editions of 500, priced at $75 each. Two of the artworks in the series are emblazoned with quotes from Charles Eames
'Take your pleasure seriously' is another of Charles' mottos. The Eames Foundation aims to raise enough to preserve the midcentury masterpiece for another 250 years
'Take your pleasure seriously' is another of Charles' mottos. The Eames Foundation aims to raise enough to preserve the midcentury masterpiece for another 250 years
The starburst first appeared in the Eames House of Cards and has since been adopted by the Eames Office as its logo
The starburst first appeared in the Eames House of Cards and has since been adopted by the Eames Office as its logo