Charles and Ray Eames - Pair of office chairs - model EA117 - Vitra

Charles (1907-1978) and Ray (1912-1988) Eames. From the Sava Centar in Belgrade (plaque below) to furnish the offices of management and delegates. Pair of Aluminium Group office chairs. Model EA117. Editions Vitra. Polished aluminium base, black fabric seat. Late 1970s. Height: 81cm. Width: 56cm. Depth: 60cm. Seat height: 46cm. Seat depth: 45cm. Good condition, stains on the seat, wear on the aluminium. I also have another pair to form a set of 4. *The Sava Centar was designed by architect Stojan Maksimović and inaugurated in 1977-1978. This monumental conference centre was the jewel of modernist and brutalist architecture from the socialist era of Yugoslavia. At the time, the Yugoslav state spared no expense in furnishing this venue intended for international summits: the interiors were fully equipped with the pinnacle of design of the time, either directly imported or officially licensed. During the recent privatisation and overall renovation of the building between 2021 and 2023, a large portion of the original historic furniture was removed and sold, much to the delight of collectors. * Charles and Ray Eames are the most famous and influential couple of designers, architects, and filmmakers of the 20th century. Their visionary creations completely redefined the landscape of post-war domestic and professional furniture, marking the transition to an era of mass industrial production that was both aesthetic and accessible. Charles Eames was born in 1907 in St. Louis, Missouri. He studied architecture and, influenced by the principles of functionalism, became a teacher at the prestigious Cranbrook Academy of Art in Michigan. It was at this school that he met Bernice Alexandra Kaiser, known as Ray, born in 1912 in Sacramento, California. Ray studied abstract painting in New York.