USA, 1940, first manufacture form the early 1950s, black walnut legs, laminated and moulded wooden seat shell, foam upholstery, covered with textile fabric designed by Marli Ehrman, aluminium connections between the legs and the seat shell, rigid plastic feet, height 85.8 cm, width 73.5 cm, depth 65.5 cm, height of seat 44 cm. (DRAX)

Original condition.

Lit.: E. F. Noyes, Organic Design in Home Furnishing, The Museum of Modern Art, New York 1941, p. 12 (construction drawings for the competition), p. 13 and p. 29 (contemporary photographs) – M. Neuhart, The Story of Eames Furniture, vol. 1, p. 277, p. 285 (“Organic Furniture Competition Conversation Chair”) – P. Kirkham, Charles and Ray Eames. Designers of the Twentieth Century, MIT Press, 1998, pp. 207–210 – K. Elam, Geometry of Design. Studies in Proportion and Composition, Princeton Architectural Press 2006, p. 70 – S. Grawe, “Chair up”, in: Dwell, December 2007, pp. 100ff.

Provenance:private collection, Netherlands, purchased in Florida in the 1950s

Designed for the competition “Organic Design in Home Furnishing” launched by the Department of Industrial of the Museum of Modern Art in New York on 1 October 1940. The competition was initiated by Elliot Noyes, the first curator of this newly installed department. The goal was to motivate architects and companies to develop and market modern furniture for a modern lifestyle.

Their participation in the MoMa competition was the first collaboration between Eero Saarinen and Charles Eames, and they won first prize.

Besides the chair, their submission comprised a high-back chair, an armchair, a sofa, and office furniture, which they presented in the form of several drawings. No true-to-scale prototypes were produced for the competition. Production of the “Organic Chair” only started in 1950 and was terminated after a short while.

The original design had envisaged aluminium legs. This idea was discarded because the material was scarce during the war, and wood was used instead. New technologies were also involved in the production of the seat shell, which was composed of strips of veneer and was to ensure utmost stability and comfort while using as little material as possible and being extremely lightweight. Later on, Eames based his successful “Wire Shell” and “La Fonda” on these competition designs. Saarinen referred to them when he developed the “Tulip Chair”.

“A design may be called organic when there is a harmonious organization of the parts within the whole, according to structure, material, and purpose. Within this definition there can be no vain ornamentation or superfluity, but the part of beauty is none the less great – in ideal choice of material, in visual refinement, and in the rational elegance of things intended for use.” (Elliot Noyes, MoMa, New York)