Eileen Gray

"I was not a pusher and maybe that is the reason I did not get the place I should have had."

Eileen Gray was born at Enniscorthy in Ireland in 1878. She died in Paris in 1976.

From a landed family, she attended the Slade School in London, eventually moving to France in 1907, where she lived more or less continuously until her death.

An initial period of experiment with lacquer work was followed by a developing interest in furniture design and later in architectural design. Her work is always stark and modern.

Eileen Gray is still mainly unknown in Ireland, despite her growing international status as a major modern designer. See the page on this site about the National Museum display.

Between 1926 and 1929 in association with Jean Badovici she  developed and furnished a remarkable house, E1027, at Rocqebrune on the Riviera.