Collecting Eames: The JF Chen Collection

Beth Topping
KCRW, December 10, 2011
blogs.kcrw.com

Collecting Eames: The JF CHEN Collection

This massive collection of Eames design and production history, on show in the Highland Avenue warehouse of the inimitable antique dealer Joel Chen, includes more than 400 pieces and spans nearly six decades, from 1939 to 1998. Chen began the collection when he bought 175 pieces from Eames scholar and collector, Daniel Ostroff.

Curated by Ostroff (seen here with Bookworm’s Michael Silverblatt at a recent KCRW staff tour of the show) the collection evokes a museum exhibition, rather than a simple tableau of gallery pieces. It includes a timeline, with some of Charles Eames’ earliest and rarest collaborations with Eero Saarinen. Their 1940 molded wood chair with a fabric covering was created for MoMa’s Organic Design in Home Furnishings competition. It is a beautiful and embryonic example of the molded plywood chairs whose design and production would become a near obsession for Charles and Ray Eames in later years.

The collection also exemplifies key philosophies of the Eames. Because their designs were based on need and utility and not simply aesthetics, Charles and Ray always sought to improve their furniture. The timeline shows the gradual changes in materials and design as technology and experience guided them.

The Eames are also famous for producing “the best for the most for the least,” making affordable, quality pieces to last a lifetime (their furniture was mostly made in America by Herman Miller, whose workers made a comfortable enough wage to put their children through college). One great example of this quality craftsmanship is a single family collection from the Valastro family, who bought a nine piece set of Eames furniture with their dowry when they married in 1954. Even after continuous use (with two boys in the home), the furniture is still intact and fully functioning, having been removed from the Valastro home in 2009.

Secret Agent PR
secretagentpr.com

Been: de LaB’s Collecting Eames at JF Chen

“We had plenty of Eames-filled dreams after seeing the Collecting Eames show with de LaB last Tuesday, hosted by renowned furniture dealer JF Chen. Daniel Ostroff, curator and editor, led a tour of the design duo‘s 425 covet-worthy classics – the largest collection of original Eames furniture in the nation.

In his engaging talk, Ostroff demonstrated a healthy amount of respect and passion for all things Eames, explaining the history of each piece in great detail. From the utilitarian (the now-iconic plastic chair) to the innovative (a molded fiberglass La Chaise), and even the unexpected (a tube radio, anyone?), the exhibit gave a comprehensive look into the Eames’ impressive body of work.”

sahscc.org

Behind the Scenes Eames

SAH/SCC at JF Chen

Curator Daniel Ostroff will give SAH/SCC a behind-the-scenes look at “Collecting Eames: The JF Chen Collection.” We’ll have the pleasure of seeing and learning about the largest and most diverse Eames collection in the United States-450 pieces, as Joel Chen welcomes us to the gallery prior to opening to the public for the day. This unprecedented collection stems from the earliest furniture example-a 1939 Eames-Saarinen chair for the Kleinhans Music Hall-to the latest, a Vitra-made Eames La Chaise of the 1990s. The collection includes rare posters, toys, graphics, and exceptional examples of “signed” Eames work throughout the long career of Charles and Ray Eames. A companion book is also available.

The exhibition design includes a time-line of chairs as well as furniture vignettes. Of interest to SAH/SCC members familiar with our “Modern Patrons” series, is a suite of furniture that had belonged to one family who used the pieces for 55 consecutive years in six different homes.

In this exhibition, Ostroff offers new perspectives on Eames connoisseurship and scholarship through a intricate study of this rare and significant collection.