Alexander Girard
Encyclopedia
Alexander Girard affectionately known as Sandro, was an architect and a textile design
er born in New York City
to an American mother from Boston
and a French-Italian father. He was raised in Florence
, Italy
. A graduate of the Royal School of Architecture in Rome
, Girard refined his skills in both Florence and New York.
Girard is widely known for his contributions in the field of American
textile
design, particularly through his work for Herman Miller
(1952 to 1975), where he created fabrics for the designs of George Nelson
and Charles and Ray Eames
.
His work also includes designing the La Fonda del Sol Restaurant in New York (1960), the Herman Miller Showplace: T&O (Textiles and Objects) (1961), Braniff Airlines (1965). and the Girard Foundation (1962), which houses his extensive folk art
collection. He and his wife, Susan Girard, amassed a remarkable collection of artifacts consisting of folk art, popular art, toys, and textiles from around the world, which is displayed through the Girard Foundation, founded 1962.
, to create a line of handwoven 100% cotton fabrics. Because of the excellent quality and array of colors available, he developed a range of colorful “mexidots”and “mexistripes” which he used in many of his projects including installation backing, ground for environmental enrichment panels and upholstery.
Girard also developed a furniture collection for Herman Miller in 1967 building on his designs for Braniff Airlines' lounge and office furniture which featured a low sight line and interior/exterior shell separate from the seat cushion to maximize varied upholstery. Originals from this collection are rare and have become highly collectible, since they were quite expensive at the time and were in production only for 1 year. In 1971 he developed forty screen printed graphics on fabrics for Robert Propst’s Action Office 2 System. These Environmental Enrichment panels add a touch of warmth, color, and design to the office environment.
re-branding – “The end of the plain plane”. This project gave Girard the opportunity to work with textiles, color, and graphics on a grand scale, redesigning everything from the sugar packets to the ticket counters to the color of the planes themselves. He used colors like light and dark blue, beige, ochre, orange, turquoise, and muted yellow to make the planes recognizable from the ground. Italian couturier fashion designer Emilio Pucci
designed attendant uniforms.
Girard also designed a line of furniture for Braniff's ticket offices and customer lounges. This furniture was also available to the public by Herman Miller in 1967 and was available for one year only.
As part of the commission, Charles and Ray Eames were brought in to design a fabric covered fiberglass chair and table, both with a new pedestal design. The chairs were similar to the plastic Eames chairs with a modification to the top silhouette of the fiberglass bucket.
Girard was also commissioned by Brody to design the L'Etoile Restaurant (1966)in the Sherry Netherlands Hotel, New York, a French restaurant with austere decor featuring a range of silver and greys featuring glass engraved with the names of French luminaries and playful daisy shaped tables in the bar. The Compound Restaurant (1967), in Santa Fe, New Mexico, is in a clean modern yet traditional New Mexican style with inlaid Mexicotton ceiling tiles and nichos featuring a mix of folk art and Girard’s own designs.
Company, in the entrance to their administration building designed by Saarinen near Moline, Illinois. The mural is one hundred eighty feet long and eight feet high, created entirely with three dimensional found objects.
in Santa Fe, New Mexico
, USA. The museum opened to the public in 1953 and has gained national and international recognition as home to the world’s largest collection of folk art.
The Girard Wing houses the popular permanent exhibition, Multiple Visions: A Common Bond, which showcases folk art, popular art, toys and textiles from more than 100 nations. Opening in 1982, this unorthodox and delightful exhibition was designed and installed by Girard, and remains popular with the public.
in Santa Fe
.
In 2000, máXimo partnered with the Girard family to bring his extensive body of work back to life by joining with select companies internationally such as Maharam, Herman Miller
, Kate Spade
, Chronicle Books
, and Vitra
on design driven products and educational programs. In some cases, these collaborations result in exact replicas of original Girard objects and designs. However, máXimo also brought in young design companies who were inspired by Girard to bring new interpretations to the work such as House Industries
and The Millwork Group,inc, Anna Sui in the development of a Girard font collection and related accessories.
Textile design
Textile design is the process of creating designs and structures for knitted, woven, non-woven or embellishments of fabrics.Textile designing involves producing patterns for cloth used in clothing, household textiles and decorative textiles such as carpets. The field encompasses the actual pattern...
er born in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
to an American mother from Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
and a French-Italian father. He was raised in Florence
Florence
Florence is the capital city of the Italian region of Tuscany and of the province of Florence. It is the most populous city in Tuscany, with approximately 370,000 inhabitants, expanding to over 1.5 million in the metropolitan area....
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
. A graduate of the Royal School of Architecture in Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
, Girard refined his skills in both Florence and New York.
Girard is widely known for his contributions in the field of American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
textile
Textile
A textile or cloth is a flexible woven material consisting of a network of natural or artificial fibres often referred to as thread or yarn. Yarn is produced by spinning raw fibres of wool, flax, cotton, or other material to produce long strands...
design, particularly through his work for Herman Miller
Herman Miller (office equipment)
Herman Miller, Inc., based in Zeeland, Michigan, is a major American manufacturer of office furniture and equipment, as well as furniture for the home. It is notable as one of the first companies to produce modern furniture and, under the guidance of Design Director George Nelson, is likely the...
(1952 to 1975), where he created fabrics for the designs of George Nelson
George Nelson (designer)
George Nelson was a noted American industrial designer, and one of the founders of American Modernism. While Director of Design for the Herman Miller furniture company both Nelson, and his design studio, George Nelson Associates, Inc., designed much of the 20th century's most iconic modernist...
and Charles and Ray Eames
Charles and Ray Eames
Charles Ormond Eames, Jr and Bernice Alexandra "Ray" Eames were American designers, who worked in and made major contributions to modern architecture and furniture. They also worked in the fields of industrial and graphic design, fine art and film.-Charles Eames:Charles Eames, Jr was born in...
.
His work also includes designing the La Fonda del Sol Restaurant in New York (1960), the Herman Miller Showplace: T&O (Textiles and Objects) (1961), Braniff Airlines (1965). and the Girard Foundation (1962), which houses his extensive folk art
Folk art
Folk art encompasses art produced from an indigenous culture or by peasants or other laboring tradespeople. In contrast to fine art, folk art is primarily utilitarian and decorative rather than purely aesthetic....
collection. He and his wife, Susan Girard, amassed a remarkable collection of artifacts consisting of folk art, popular art, toys, and textiles from around the world, which is displayed through the Girard Foundation, founded 1962.
Herman Miller Textiles Division
In 1952, Alexander Girard was hired to head the fabric and textile division. Girard worked with George Nelson and Charles and Ray Eames to form a design team that has influenced the fundamentals of design throughout the United States and the rest of the world. Girard initially established a fabric collection based on his architectural training. His first fabric line consisted of plain upholsteries and geometric drapery prints—stripes, circles, and triangles. He went on to create many more patterns and designs, largely inspired by folk art. He also worked with a 19th Century textile mill he discovered in central MexicoMexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
, to create a line of handwoven 100% cotton fabrics. Because of the excellent quality and array of colors available, he developed a range of colorful “mexidots”and “mexistripes” which he used in many of his projects including installation backing, ground for environmental enrichment panels and upholstery.
Girard also developed a furniture collection for Herman Miller in 1967 building on his designs for Braniff Airlines' lounge and office furniture which featured a low sight line and interior/exterior shell separate from the seat cushion to maximize varied upholstery. Originals from this collection are rare and have become highly collectible, since they were quite expensive at the time and were in production only for 1 year. In 1971 he developed forty screen printed graphics on fabrics for Robert Propst’s Action Office 2 System. These Environmental Enrichment panels add a touch of warmth, color, and design to the office environment.
T&O (Textiles and Objects) 1961
This Herman Miller showplace was a unique space filled with textiles and folk art pieces on Manhattan’s East 53rd street. Textiles and Objects was an innovation demonstrating textiles as an integral part of interior displays for both designers and the individual consumer. The showroom also featured folk art Girard collected from around the world. T&O closed in shortly after opening, due to insufficient marketing and a public was not quite ready to add such colorful and exotic objects to the typical 1950’s palette of their homes.Braniff Airlines
In the mid-1960s, Girard began his design work for Braniff International AirwaysBraniff International Airways
Braniff International Airways was an American airline that operated from 1928 until 1982, primarily in the midwestern and southwestern U.S., South America, Panama, and in its later years also Asia and Europe...
re-branding – “The end of the plain plane”. This project gave Girard the opportunity to work with textiles, color, and graphics on a grand scale, redesigning everything from the sugar packets to the ticket counters to the color of the planes themselves. He used colors like light and dark blue, beige, ochre, orange, turquoise, and muted yellow to make the planes recognizable from the ground. Italian couturier fashion designer Emilio Pucci
Emilio Pucci
Emilio Pucci, Marquis of Barsento , was a Florentine Italian fashion designer and politician. He and his eponymous company are synonymous with geometric prints in a kaleidoscope of colours.-Early life:...
designed attendant uniforms.
Girard also designed a line of furniture for Braniff's ticket offices and customer lounges. This furniture was also available to the public by Herman Miller in 1967 and was available for one year only.
Restaurants
The La Fonda del Sol 1961 Commissioned by Jerome Brody of Restaurant Associates, Girard designed every aspect the La Fonda del Sol restaurant in a Latin American/Contemporary theme, including menus, matchbooks, tableware and the ceramic tiles on the floors and walls. Girard created over eighty different sun motifs found throughout the restaurant.As part of the commission, Charles and Ray Eames were brought in to design a fabric covered fiberglass chair and table, both with a new pedestal design. The chairs were similar to the plastic Eames chairs with a modification to the top silhouette of the fiberglass bucket.
Girard was also commissioned by Brody to design the L'Etoile Restaurant (1966)in the Sherry Netherlands Hotel, New York, a French restaurant with austere decor featuring a range of silver and greys featuring glass engraved with the names of French luminaries and playful daisy shaped tables in the bar. The Compound Restaurant (1967), in Santa Fe, New Mexico, is in a clean modern yet traditional New Mexican style with inlaid Mexicotton ceiling tiles and nichos featuring a mix of folk art and Girard’s own designs.
Georg Jensen
In 1956, Just Lunning, president of Georg Jensen, commissioned Girard to design seven table settings for an exhibition on 5th Avenue in New York. Each setting was created around a vignette outlining the personalities and situations of the company at the particular table. He created place mats and dishes specific to the project.John Deere
Girard was commissioned to create a mural for the John DeereJohn Deere
John Deere was an American blacksmith and manufacturer who founded Deere & Company, one of the largest and leading agricultural and construction equipment manufacturers in the world...
Company, in the entrance to their administration building designed by Saarinen near Moline, Illinois. The mural is one hundred eighty feet long and eight feet high, created entirely with three dimensional found objects.
The Girard Foundation
In 1962, Girard and his wife established the Girard Foundation in Santa Fe to manage their art collection that numbered over 100,000 pieces., including toys, dolls, icons, and other ethnic expressions. Girard's design work was heavily influenced by his passion for folk art. In 1978, Girard contributed his immense collection to the Museum of International Folk ArtMuseum of International Folk Art
The Museum of International Folk Art is a state-run institution in Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA. It is one of many cultural institutions operated by the New Mexico Department of Cultural Affairs...
in Santa Fe, New Mexico
Santa Fe, New Mexico
Santa Fe is the capital of the U.S. state of New Mexico. It is the fourth-largest city in the state and is the seat of . Santa Fe had a population of 67,947 in the 2010 census...
, USA. The museum opened to the public in 1953 and has gained national and international recognition as home to the world’s largest collection of folk art.
The Girard Wing houses the popular permanent exhibition, Multiple Visions: A Common Bond, which showcases folk art, popular art, toys and textiles from more than 100 nations. Opening in 1982, this unorthodox and delightful exhibition was designed and installed by Girard, and remains popular with the public.
Additional projects
- Radio cabinets,interiors for Detrola Corporation (1943)
- Exhibition design, "Design for Modern Use, Made in U.S.A." Museum of Modern Art (1950)
- Rieveschi residence, Grosse Pointe, Michigan (1951)
- Exhibition design, "Good Design" Home Furnishings Exhibition, Museum of Modern Art (1954)
- Exhibition design,"Textiles and Ornamental Arts of India"Museum of Modern Art (1954)
- "Day of the Dead" documentary film, collaboration with Charles Eames (1956)
- Nativity Exhibition, sponsored by Hallmark Cards, Atkins Museum, Kansas City, Missouri
- Penthouse apartment for Hallmark Cards, Hallmark Building, Kansas City(1662)
- Gregory residence, Wayzata, Minnesota (1963)
- Indian government commissioned Girard and Eames to design the Memorial Exhibition for Nehru, Delhi, India (1965)
- "El Encanto de un Pueblo (The Magic of a People): International Exhibit for Hemisfair, San Antonio, Texas (1968)
máXimo: art and design research
máXimo was the official agent to the Estate of Alexander Girard from 2000-2011, and is credited with re-introducing Girard designs to the contemporary marketplace. Girard was not a self promoter and his work at Herman Miller and elsewhere was geared towards the exclusive contract world and interior designers. With the brief exception of the T&O shop, his work was never available directly to the public. After his retirement, many of the designs fell into disuse while Girard focused on his folk art collection and designing the exhibit at the Museum of International Folk ArtMuseum of International Folk Art
The Museum of International Folk Art is a state-run institution in Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA. It is one of many cultural institutions operated by the New Mexico Department of Cultural Affairs...
in Santa Fe
Santa Fe, New Mexico
Santa Fe is the capital of the U.S. state of New Mexico. It is the fourth-largest city in the state and is the seat of . Santa Fe had a population of 67,947 in the 2010 census...
.
In 2000, máXimo partnered with the Girard family to bring his extensive body of work back to life by joining with select companies internationally such as Maharam, Herman Miller
Herman Miller
Herman Miller may refer to:*Herman Miller , U.S. manufacturer of office furniture and equipment*Herman Miller , Hollywood writer and producer...
, Kate Spade
Kate Spade
Kate Brosnahan Spade is the co-founder and namesake of the designer brand, Kate Spade New York .- Early life and beginnings :...
, Chronicle Books
Chronicle Books
Chronicle Books is a San Francisco-based American publisher of books for adults and children.The company was established in 1968 by Phelps Dewey, an executive with Chronicle Publishing Company, then-publisher of the San Francisco Chronicle. In 1999 it was bought by Nion McEvoy, great-grandson of...
, and Vitra
Vitra
Vitra can refer to:* Vitra : a Swiss manufacturer of designer furniture. Vitra is the European manufacturer and retailer of the works of many internationally renowned furniture designers....
on design driven products and educational programs. In some cases, these collaborations result in exact replicas of original Girard objects and designs. However, máXimo also brought in young design companies who were inspired by Girard to bring new interpretations to the work such as House Industries
House Industries
House Industries is a type foundry and design studio based in Yorklyn, Delaware. The company was created in the 1990s in Wilmington, Delaware by co-founders Andy Cruz and Rich Roat. The company is best known for its typeface creations, which have appeared on television , in film House Industries is...
and The Millwork Group,inc, Anna Sui in the development of a Girard font collection and related accessories.
Exhibitions
- Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum, The Opulent Eye of Alexander Girard, 2001
- SFMOMA, Alexander Girard: Vibrant Modern, 2006
Publications
- Pina, Leslie. Alexander Girard Designs for Herman Miller, Schiffer Publishing Ltd., 1998.
- Forde, Laura. "Modern Crafts No. 7", Alexander Girard the Textures of Modernism and the Joys of Folk Art, Petit Grand Publishing, Inc., 2003.
- Grawe, Sam. "Alexander The Great", Dwell Magazine, Feb. 2008.
- "The Spirit of Folk Art: The Girard Collection at the Museum of International Folk Art" is a 276-page set of essays by Henry Glassie, which describe the content and importance of the Girard collection. The essays are complemented by black and white as well as color plates of collection objects on display at the Museum. For a full description of this book, see the MoIFA Publications page.
- "Folk Art from the Global Village: The Girard Collection at the Museum of International Folk Art" is a 96-page set of essays by Jack Lenor Larsen and others, which describe the Girard collection and its origins. The book, which contains over 100 color plates of objects described in the essays, is currently out of print. For a full description of this book, see the Museum of New Mexico Foundation's publications page.
External links
- Girard Wing
- Girard at Braniff
- Interview with Girard re his work at the Herman Miller Company
- Dwell Magazine Article
- House Industries Girard Collection produced in conjunction with the Girard estate and Máximo House IndustriesHouse IndustriesHouse Industries is a type foundry and design studio based in Yorklyn, Delaware. The company was created in the 1990s in Wilmington, Delaware by co-founders Andy Cruz and Rich Roat. The company is best known for its typeface creations, which have appeared on television , in film House Industries is...
- máXimo