Maybe you’ve heard of Eileen Gray. Designer and Architect who worked in close proximity to the world of French couture at the beginning of the 20th Century. She was often seen driving her automobile through Paris wearing Poiret coats and Lanvin hats.
Yves Saint Laurent was a collector of her work and Eileen’s Dragon chair recently sold for $27.8 million. Incomprehensible.
Eileen was born in Ireland but lived in Paris from 1902. She trained at the Slade Shool in London but moved towards crafts after learning Japanese lacquering and the craft of hand woven rugs.
She liked the usefulness of crafts and you can see this in her beautiful and functional cabinet.
| Eileen Gray, Pivoting Drawers, c 1920s |
And you would probably recognise this classic.
| Eileen Gray, Black Block Screen, 1923 |
Julia Ritson
JULIA RITSON 
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