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Designer Alexander Girard
Perhaps a little less well known than his contemporaries such as the Eameses and Eero Saarinen, Alexander Girard was nonetheless a leading figure in American postwar design. Some of his many creations are manufactured by Vitra to this day — and his vast oeuvre deserves a closer look. A design polymath, he created everything from bold graphics to colourful branding for Braniff International Airlines, as well as numerous fabrics for Herman Miller where he served as director of its textile division from 1952.
Often looking to folk art for inspiration, his work bridges the period of pared-back modernism and the more vibrant pop culture of the 1960s and 1970s. With plenty of primary colours, concise geometric patterns and a touch of humour, he injected zest and spontaneity into everything he created. Many of his upholstery fabrics remain as timely and vital as ever, as do his colourful toys and graphics. “Alexander Girard. A Designer’s Universe” is a travelling exhibition, curated by the Vitra Design Museum, which is heading to the Franz Mayer Museum in Mexico City in October. I met chief curator Jochen Eisenbrand to find out more about Alexander Girard’s life and legacy.
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