Eames Elephant (plywood)

Eames Elephant

In the early 1940s, Charles and Ray Eames spent several years developing and refining a technique for moulding plywood into three-dimensional shapes, creating a series of furniture items and sculptures in the process. Among these initial designs, the two-part elephant proved to be the most technically challenging due to its tight compound curves, and the piece never went into serial production. One prototype, which was given to Charles's 14-year-old daughter Lucia Eames, was loaned to the Museum of Modern Art in New York for a 1946 exhibition. It still survives in the Eames family archives today. After issuing a limited edition in 2007, Vitra commenced serial production of the legendary Eames Elephant in plywood for the first time in 2017. The Eames Elephant RE was also subsequently launched as a version in recycled post-industrial plastic, making it available to the target group for which it was originally intended: children. And Eames Elephant (small) RE also comes in recycled plastic in a choice of colours: the design is identical but on a smaller scale. Whether selected as an elegant wooden object for the living room, as a robust toy made of recycled plastic for a child's bedroom or outdoor use, or as a small decorative animal figure: the friendly animal with its proudly prominent ears will bring delight to children and parents alike.