Eames® Elephant Limited Edition for sale, Design: Charles and Ray Eames. Manufacturer: Vitra. Design: 1945
sold through Stardust.com
The Eames® Molded Plywood Elephant (limited edition Vitra 2018) is for sale from Stardust. Eames's Elephant in wood represents one of the earliest examples in which this majestic animal appears in Charles and Ray’s work. They designed it in the early 1940s as a playful offshoot of their molded plywood experiments. The elephant was part of a larger grouping of animals, including frogs, seals, horses, and bears, that the Eameses made as toys or furniture for children but that compliment any type of modern home decor.
The original Eames Plywood Elephant is available from Stardust.com
The original Eames Plywood Elephant is available from Stardust.com
They made two prototypes of the elephant, but it required complex fabrication methods and was never commercially produced. In 2018, Vitra launched a limited edition of the Plywood Elephant in honor of Charles’s 100th birthday. The new Plywood Eames Elephant is being offered through Stardust.com; a retailer of iconic mid-century modern design furnishings. The company worked closely with Eames Office to reproduce the 1945 design with precision and care, making these limited-edition elephants now available from Stardust.
It took some 60 years for the original plywood Eames Plywood Elephant to
be brought to market as a serially produced product. To enable this Vitra
created a dyed-through polypropylene version of the 42 cm high, 78 cm
long and 41 cm wide wooden elephant, a synthetic version available in
the colours classic red, light pink, white, dark grey and lime. In
addition to lower production costs, the advantage of the plastic that it
is relatively robust and suitable for outdoor use. The licenses for the
production of Eames designs in Europe are held by Vitra. Based in
Birsfelden, Switzerland with a central production facility in Weil am
Rhein, Germany, Vitra places in the manufacture of its products a focus
on the achieving the highest quality standards not just in their
products but also in the sustainable and ecologically responsible nature
of the production.
Designed in the 1940s the Eames Elephant is historically understood in
context of the so-called "mid-century modern" movement. Originating in
the United States in the decades after World War II, mid-century modern
combined modern developments in design, architecture and urban planning,
with Scandinavian influences to create a more relaxed, accessible
aesthetic. Typical of the designs of Charles and Ray Eames from that
time is experimentation with new materials. The elephants were
originally made of plywood, then a truly revolutionary material. The
original Eames Plywood Elephant is one of the first furniture objects
which involved moulding plywood into organic forms, a process Charles
and Ray Eames developed during World War II for the US Navy, where they
developed leg-splints from bent plywood. After the war, they transferred
their expertise on furniture design and created in addition to the
plywood elephant their famous Eames plywood chair family.
It was the Swiss designer furniture manufacturer Vitra who transformed
the original plywood Eames Elephant into its current polypropylene form:
having created a limited edition version in plywood to celebrate what
would have been Charles Eames' 100th birthday in 2007, Vitra
subsequently released the synthetic version for the wider public. Thus,
the Vitra Elephant version adds to the long tradition of fruitful co
operations between Vitra and international designers and/or their
offspring, to allow for the re-edition of long lost furniture design
classics. Of special importance for the development of Vitra was the
relationship between the company's founders Erika and Willi Fehlbaum and
Charles & Ray Eames, a relationship which not only helped define
the company's original direction but which continues to define the
decision making processes. Vitra was founded as a shop fitting company
store in the Swiss village of Birsfelden and only developed into a
furniture production company after the Fehlbaums discovered an Eames chair
during a trip to the USA in 1950. Since then Vitra has developed into
one of the major international manufacturers of quality furniture design
and home accessories.
Originally presented in moulded plywood as part of a 1945 exhibition at
the Museum of Modern Art in New York, it would be some 60 years before
the Eames Elephant entered serial production: to mark Charles Eames'
100th birthday in 2007 Vitra released a limited edition of 2000 pieces
in the original plywood version. This very high quality, and equally
limited quantity, edition made these impressive pachyderms a popular
collector's item: but missed Charles and Ray Eames' intended purpose -
an everyday toy for children. Thus, Vitra has developed a contemporary
version of the Eames Elephant made of polypropylene, which not only
makes the striking design available in a range of bright colours, but at
an affordable price. In addition, the Vitra Elephant is, thanks to the
new durable material, also ideal for outdoor adventures and thus
reflects the designers position that play and pleasure are basic human
needs and a integral source of enjoyment of life.
Product type | Eames Plywood Elephant |
Dimensions | ![]() (1) Height, rear: 33 cm (2) Length: 78,5 cm (3) Height, front: 41,5 cm (4) Width: 35 cm |
Material | Moulded plywood with deck veneer in American Cherry |
Care | To clean, a soft, damp cloth and a mild neutral detergent are recommended. |
Museums | Museum of Modern Art, New York |
Certificates & Sustainability | Vitra conform to ISO 90001: 2008 (Quality management systems) ISO 14001: 2004 (Environmental management systems) |
Warranty | 24 months |