Alexander Girard La Fonda Del Sol Matchbook Cover Collection
View Similar Items
Alexander Girard La Fonda Del Sol Matchbook Cover Collection
About the Item
- Creator:Alexander Girard (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 8 in (20.32 cm)Width: 6 in (15.24 cm)Depth: 1 in (2.54 cm)
- Sold As:Set of 15
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1960s
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use. Minor losses. very good overall condition.
- Seller Location:St.Petersburg, FL
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU80296614393
Alexander Girard
The director of design for the textiles department at Herman Miller, Inc., from 1952 to 1973, mid-century modern visionary Alexander Girard introduced bright, bouncy colors to upholstery and drapery fabrics, created jaunty graphics for marketing and advertising materials and devised motifs for everything from textiles to ceramics based on his true love: folk art from cultures around the globe.
The son of an American mother and an Italian father, Girard (known as Sandro to his friends) was born in New York City in 1907 but raised in Florence. He came from a creative family — his father was a master woodworker — and Girard began drawing and making his own playthings as a youngster. He had a fascination for nativity crèche tableaux, an enthusiasm that likely was the germ for his later interest in folk art. He went on to earn degrees in architecture at schools in both Rome and London before returning to New York in the 1930s and working in interior design.
By the 1940s, he and his wife, Susan, had moved to Detroit, where Girard was head of design for Detrola, a firm specializing in tabletop radios. The elegant bentwood housings that he developed for the devices won him acclaim, but, more importantly, at Detrola he met Charles Eames. The two became lifelong friends, and it was Eames who drew Girard toward Herman Miller, which had no dedicated textile department until Girard arrived, and most of its furniture was upholstered in mundane, “safe” hues. Girard changed all that, introducing fabrics in vivid shades of red, orange, yellow and blue. His early designs incorporated geometric motifs — stripes, circles, square, triangles and such. But toward the end of the 1950s he began to introduce folk art themes into his designs.
Girard did not collect important or expensive folk pieces. Rather he was drawn to simple objects such as handmade toys, figurines and models of animals, buildings and plants. The fabrics that emerged had whimsical, lighthearted motifs depicting, for example, angels, children, birds and flowers. Toward the end of his term with Herman Miller, in an effort to achieve what he termed “aesthetic functionalism,” Girard produced a group of what he called “Environmental Enrichment” pieces — silk-screened cotton panels emblazoned with various graphic designs, from bold geometric patterns to folk art themes. They were meant to divide spaces in offices or the home in lieu of walls while simultaneously functioning as art. Today, panels of vintage Girard upholstery textiles have become premium collectibles. The designer's furniture is less well known, primarily because most of it was created for private commissions.
Girard’s most lasting contribution may be his folk art collection. He and Susan had begun gathering pieces shortly after their marriage, in 1936. By the 1970s, they had amassed the world’s largest collection of cross-cultural folk art, composed of more than 100,000 pieces from around the world. The Girards donated their holdings to the Museum of International Folk Art, in Santa Fe (where they had moved in the ’60s), quintupling the institution’s collection, and a new wing — named for the Girards — had to be built to hold it.
Find a striking range of vintage Alexander Girard seating, tables, textiles and other furnishings on 1stDibs.
- Alexander Girard Occasional Table for Herman MillerBy Alexander GirardLocated in St.Petersburg, FLA rare marble top table by Alexander Girard for Herman Miller, circa 1960s.Category
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Side Tables
MaterialsMarble, Aluminum
- Rare Collection Of Ephemera And Postcards ca’1940’s By Frank BarrBy James PrestiniLocated in St.Petersburg, FLA rare collection of ephemera designed by Frank Barr ca’ 1940’s. Advertising exhibitions by James Prestini etc…a total of 22 pieces.Category
Vintage 1940s American Mid-Century Modern Prints
MaterialsPaper
- Raymond Loewy Circle Gallery 1979 PosterBy Raymond LoewyLocated in St.Petersburg, FLAn interesting Raymond Loewy poster from Circle Gallery, circa 1979. The famed industrial designer' exhibition of drawings, sketches, etc...Category
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Posters
- A Color Linocut by Michael RothensteinBy Michael RothensteinLocated in St.Petersburg, FLA bold color linocut by Michael Rothenstein, British, (1908-1993), one of the most important 20th century printmakers.Category
Vintage 1960s English Modern Prints
- Max Beckmann Signed "Strasse II" 1916 German Expressionist Framed Drypoint PrintBy Max BeckmannLocated in St.Petersburg, FLMax Beckmann (German, 1884-1950) German Expressionist Date: 1916 Medium: Drypoint etching Dimensions: Plate - 3 5/8” x 7 5/8” (~9.2 x 19.4 cm) Sheet - approx. 10” x 16.5” (~25...Category
Vintage 1910s German Expressionist Prints
MaterialsPaper
- Unique Belt Buckle by Eugene Anthony ChaseLocated in St.Petersburg, FLAn unique brass belt buckle by Santa Cruz, California sculptor Eugene Anthony Chase, ca' 1970's.Category
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Collectible Jewelry
MaterialsBrass
- Alexander Girard Ashtray/ Match Holder from La Fonda Del SolBy Alexander GirardLocated in Highland, INThis sweet, sculptural piece designed by Alexander Girard and made by Mayer China Minners & Co for the NY restautant La Fonda del Sol. The glazed porc...Category
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Tobacco Accessories
MaterialsPorcelain
- 1960s Alexander Girard Ashtray La Fonda Del Sol Restaurant NYC New York City MCMBy Alexander GirardLocated in Hyattsville, MDA very rare and vintage New York City relic. No chips, No handling damage. However this example does have some manufacturing defects that are all Photo'd.Category
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Tobacco Accessories
MaterialsPorcelain
- Rare Alexander Girard Detrola Radio, circa 1946, ModernistBy Alexander GirardLocated in Buffalo, NYNice original working condition,, replaced back.. Signed with stamped manufacturer’s mark to underside: [12132]. USA Medium Design/Decorative Art Manufacturer Detrola Radio...Category
Vintage 1940s American Mid-Century Modern Musical Instruments
MaterialsBrass
- Alexander Girard for Herman Miller Neck Ties. NOS. Silk. Vintage 1960s, SignedBy Herman Miller, Alexander GirardLocated in Kansas City, MOSuper rare neckties designed by Alexander Girard for Herman Miller, 1960s. We don't think these were ever in mass production. All three are unused and like new. Girard fabric design ...Category
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Historical Memorabilia
MaterialsSilk
- Antique Map of Mar del Sur, Chile, Peru, New Guinea and Tierra del Fuego, 1621Located in Langweer, NLUncommon and rare map of Mar del Sur and the coast of Peru. With inset maps of part of New Guinea and Tierra del Fuego. This map originates from 'Miroir Oost &...Category
Antique 17th Century Maps
MaterialsPaper
- Jacques Callot "Misères Et Malheurs De La Guerre" Collection of Engraving 17thBy Jacques CallotLocated in Beuzevillette, FR“Les Misères Et Les Malheurs De La Guerre” (“The misfortunes of war”) more commonly called “the great miseries of war” (“The great miseries of war”) is a major work by the 17th centu...Category
Antique 17th Century French Louis XIII Prints
MaterialsPaper