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Alexander Girard 1907-1993

Alexander Girard 1907-1993

Alexander Girard, born in 1907 in New York City, was one of the decisive figures of post-war American design alongside his close friends George Nelson and Charles and Ray Eames.

Whilst he trained as an architect in London, and also studies in Rome and New York, the focus of his broad oeuvre was on textile design. As head of the Herman Miller Company’s textile division, where he became Art Director in 1952, Girard designed a multitude of textiles that reflect his love of festive colours and patterns. He favoured abstract and geometric forms, typically put together in bright constellations of colours. His upholstery fabrics remain as timely and vital as ever with many of them still being sold today.

Girard made a name for himself over his long career in the fields of furniture, exhibition and interior design as well as in the graphic arts. On his extended travels, he avidly collected textiles and folk art from all over the world, which furnished him with a source of inspiration and ideas.

In 1993, the final year of his life, Alexander Girard bequeathed much of his collection to the Museum of International Folk Art in Santa Fe and the Vitra Design Museum Collection along with the contents of his studio (hundreds of drawings, prototypes and textile samples).

We feature his range of Wooden Dolls from Vitra and Plyprint panels.

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