In
1924 Charles Eames began his architectural studies at Washington
University. In 1929 he traveled to Europe where he came
in contact with the theories of the Modern Movement. Upon
his return, he established the firm of Gray and Eames. Eames'
work from the 1930s consisted mainly of designs for stained
glass, textiles, furniture and ceramics. In 1938 he received
a fellowship to Cranbrook Academy in Michigan, where he
studied under and collaborated with Eero Saarinen. In 1941
Eames moved to California with his wife, Ray Kaiser. Once
there, they formed a design partnership that covered a wide
spectrum of design fields. Two houses he completed in this
period creatively applied a Japanese simplicity to modern
buildings. Eames continued to work as an architect until
the mid 1960s after which he concentrated on furniture design,
filmmaking and exhibition design.
