Educational Media Reviews Online

In 1900 the Paris World’s Fair put the new spirit of the time on display and started Eileen Gray on the creative path she would follow for the rest of her life. This film chronicles Gray’s life and gives us a good look at her work, which was ahead of its time. It does so through archival photos and film, interviews with experts on her work, and her own words.

Born in Ireland in 1878, Gray moved to London in 1901 and studied at the Slade School of Fine Arts. While in London, she became familiar with Asian lacquer ware. By 1902 the pull of Paris was irresistible, and she continued her art studies at the Academie Julian. A few years later she met Sugawara, who taught her the art of lacquer, and they worked together for several years. By 1912 Gray’s work -- lacquer screens and furniture -- was beginning to sell. The purchase of one of her screens by famed collector Jacques Ducet and her subsequent work on furnishing his new apartment gained her wider attention. After World War I, Gray began selling furniture and carpets at her own gallery in London.

Jean Badovici, an architecture critic and Gray’s companion at the time, encouraged her to build her first house as a showcase for her furniture; it was finished in 1929. The house, built in Roquebrune, France and called E1027, is one of the most famous houses of the twentieth century. Gray designed and paid for the construction, but she put the house in Badovici’s name. They lived there together until 1932; he remained in the house, and she built a smaller one for herself elsewhere. Le Corbusier, a friend of Badovici, visited E1027 often after Gray was gone. He was very taken with the house and persuaded Badovici to let him paint murals on the plain living room walls. This greatly angered Gray, whose permission had not been asked. After Badovici died, the house was often attributed to him with no mention of Eileen Gray. Over the years, E1027 fell into disrepair, but it has been purchased by the city of Roquebrune and will be restored as a national cultural site.

This is the story of a woman who, while shy and modest, was not afraid to live fully in her world. She got a driver’s license in 1905. In 1913 she flew in a plane. She traveled widely, taking inspiration from the places she visited. In the 1970s when she was quite elderly, her furniture began to be reproduced, and by the time of her death in 1976 her reputation as a leading modernist designer had been solidified.

This film is a wonderful introduction to the life and work of this important designer. In addition to the archival pictures, the film shows us some of Gray’s important furniture and screens and provides the first ever film look at the interior of E1027. The narration is augmented by commentary by experts from the National Museum of Ireland, Christie’s auction house, and the businessman who began the reproduction of Gray’s furniture. Little is said about Gray’s architectural projects beyond the two houses, but the detail presented about the lacquer screens, the furniture, and the design elements of E1027 give a good sense of her work. The technical quality of the film is good. The film would be most useful in collections supporting art, design, and architecture programs. The independent life Gray led makes this film of possible interest to women’s studies students as well.

Awards

• 2008 Award for Best Portrait, International Festival of films on Art, Montreal