In 1972, Eileen Gray’s popularity as a furniture designer resurfaced after a thirty-five year hiatus when Yves Saint-Laurent bought her four-panel lacquer screen Le Destin at a Paris auction for over thirty-six thousand dollars. Her response: “C’est absurde.” Were she still alive, she might find the frequency with which her furniture designs are knocked-off even more absurd. Writing for the London Times, Lucia Van der Post, who has followed the marketability of Gray’s work since the 1970s, dubs her one of the most plagiarized designers in the world.
Of her frequently copied designs, one of the most reproduced is her E.1027 adjustable table. Peter Adam—Gray’s friend and author of the biography Eileen Gray: Architect/Designer—compiled a Catalogue Raisonné of her furniture, listing only six known originals, half of which are in private collections and half in museums.
Though I found that none claim to have originals, a plethora of Internet sites and retail design shops sell the “Eileen Gray E.1027 Table,” and by naming it so create the illusion that the designer authorized their product. ClassiCon’s “licensed, numbered and signed” version, which sells for $896, is as close to an original as you will get without forking out thousands of dollars (when or, more likely, if one were to be sold at auction). That’s because the late designer personally authorized Londoner Zeev Aram to reproduce three of her designs—among them the E.1027—in the early 1970s, and Aram markets the table through his Aram Designs and ClassiCon, a German company.
Why are there so many renditions of this iconic table? Terence Riley, the former Philip Johnson Chief Curator of Architecture and Design at The Museum of Modern Art—where one resides in the permanent collection—says it’s due to its smart design. “It is light weight and can be moved about the room,” he explains. “The height can be raised and lowered so that it serves many functions. It is said that one of Gray’s sisters liked to have breakfast in bed and the table was designed so that the raised position cleared a mattress.”
According to Riley, MoMA chose the E.1027 for its collection because the original chromed metal tables with either glass or enameled tops were so progressive. “In its day, it would have appeared quite daring compared to the staid, dark wood furniture that was popular,” he explains.
Penelope Rowlands, author of Eileen Gray: Compact Design Portfolio, states that Gray’s designs remain surprisingly fresh, though they were designed decades ago: the E.1027 table, which was designed in 1927, is a keen example. Though the name seems somewhat mechanical, its origins are highly personal. The table shares its moniker with a seaside retreat in Roquebrune-Cap Martin, France (near Monaco), which architecture critic and editor Jean Badovici commissioned Gray to design (they were lovers when the home was built). E stands for Eileen; 10 represents J, the tenth letter of the alphabet; 2 denotes B and 7 is for G. “The table and the house were designed at the same time, and there is a strong relationship between the two,” says Riley. “In her best work, she is not only a craftsman, conceiving and making objects, but an architect designing the total environment.”
Miami-based interior designer Anna Suarez-Burgos, who is always searching for original and licensed furnishings for clients, says, “Anyone who values the integrity of original designs should be willing to pay the price for authorized copies, no matter how cheap the knock-offs are.” Aram agrees for an important reason: “Authorized versions cost more because royalties are paid to the estate of the designer, thus encouraging design innovation by rewarding design innovation.”
So how would you tell the difference between an authorized E.1027 and a knock-off? “The quality of the authorized versions is superior and truer to the original designs,” says Aram. “Most of the pieces sold through official dealers (especially the tubular steel furniture) have numbers and/or Eileen Gray’s signature imprinted somewhere on the frame.” If there is no signature or number, ask an expert for an opinion or educate yourself before buying; check the provenance of the piece and go to a museum to see an original if possible. And always ask for a certificate of authenticity.
“Prior to my collaboration with Eileen Gray, her designs were only really known to design academics,” remarks Aram. “Being instrumental in making her designs available around the world to the extent that she is almost a household name has been the most satisfying and worthwhile challenge of my career.” A less worthwhile challenge for Aram is protecting his product from those who reproduce it without the designer’s consent. It’s definitely an important subject for anyone who wants to be certain they are buying licensed items when buying iconic furnishings.
Gray has long served as a beacon for women in design. I’ve featured some of her contemporary sisters on my Miami Interior Decorating Examiner page. Their designs will likely some day be as iconic as Gray’s. I’ve highlighted Gray’s Bibendum chair, which she named after the Michelin Man, on Chair Chick. Hope you enjoy the posts!
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