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Why was Eero Saarinen a modern architect?
1 Answer
Eero Saarinen is considered a modern architect for a number of reasons. An innovative merging of the International Style and the influence of Frank Lloyd Wright can be found in his acclaimed building projects and monuments. He worked with steel and concrete, just as his modernist peers had, and the neo-futuristic forms that characterize his architecture are those commonly associated with modernism.
Through his work as an architect and designer, Saarinen was a prime mover in the introduction of modernism into the American mainstream. Particularly affecting were the organic, curvilinear forms seen in Saarinen’s furniture and his best known structures: the gull-winged TWA Flight Center at John F. Kennedy Airport in New York, Dulles International Airport in Virginia and the Gateway Arch in St. Louis, Missouri.
Saarinen had a peerless modernist pedigree. His father, Eliel Saarinen, was an eminent Finnish architect who in 1932 became the first head of the Cranbrook Academy of Art in suburban Detroit. The school became synonymous with progressive design and decorative arts in the United States, and while studying there the younger Saarinen met and befriended several luminaries of mid-century modernism, among them Harry Bertoia and Charles and Ray Eames.
Like all modernist designers of the mid-century era, Saarinen was interested in the new technology and new and venturesome applications for materials that became widely available for the production of domestic goods in the postwar era. Thanks to Florence Knoll, a pioneering designer in her own right, his famous designs for seating and tables, created during the 1940s and 1950s, were manufactured by Knoll, which was a prominent influence in the rise of modern design in the United States.
Find vintage Eero Saarinen furniture for sale on 1stDibs.
Through his work as an architect and designer, Saarinen was a prime mover in the introduction of modernism into the American mainstream. Particularly affecting were the organic, curvilinear forms seen in Saarinen’s furniture and his best known structures: the gull-winged TWA Flight Center at John F. Kennedy Airport in New York, Dulles International Airport in Virginia and the Gateway Arch in St. Louis, Missouri.
Saarinen had a peerless modernist pedigree. His father, Eliel Saarinen, was an eminent Finnish architect who in 1932 became the first head of the Cranbrook Academy of Art in suburban Detroit. The school became synonymous with progressive design and decorative arts in the United States, and while studying there the younger Saarinen met and befriended several luminaries of mid-century modernism, among them Harry Bertoia and Charles and Ray Eames.
Like all modernist designers of the mid-century era, Saarinen was interested in the new technology and new and venturesome applications for materials that became widely available for the production of domestic goods in the postwar era. Thanks to Florence Knoll, a pioneering designer in her own right, his famous designs for seating and tables, created during the 1940s and 1950s, were manufactured by Knoll, which was a prominent influence in the rise of modern design in the United States.
Find vintage Eero Saarinen furniture for sale on 1stDibs.
1stDibs ExpertMarch 31, 2024
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Shop for Eero Saarinen Furniture on 1stDibs
1980’s Eero Saarinen for Knoll Tulip Table with Marble Top
By Eero Saarinen, Knoll
Located in Palm Springs, CA
A lovely example of Eero Saarinen’s Classic Tulip Table designed for Knoll. This table dates to the 1980’s according to the 655 Madison Ave label. It sat outside and the table base n...
Category
Vintage 1980s American Dining Room Tables
Materials
Marble, Iron
Eero Saarinen Small Oval Tulip Dining Table or Desk for Knoll
By Eero Saarinen
Located in Cincinnati, OH
A early and rare form in a tulip table , it's a smaller oval which can be used as a desk or for a eat in kitchen . This piece was special ordered for a kitchen area having a white La...
Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Tables
Materials
Metal
Knoll by Eero Saarinen Oak Wooden Oval Pedestal Dining Table
By Eero Saarinen, Knoll
Located in London, GB
Originally designed by Eero Saarinen in 1957, and manufactured by Knoll, the Pedestal Collection has become one of the most iconic furniture designs of the 20th century.
Taking five...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Dining Room Tables
Materials
Aluminum
Vintage "Tulip" Dining Room Set by Eero Saarinen for Knoll
By Knoll, Eero Saarinen
Located in North Hollywood, CA
The tulip dining set designed by Eero Saarinen for Knoll in the 1960s is a true masterpiece of mid-century modern design. The set includes a stunning tulip dining table and four matc...
Category
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Sets
Materials
Aluminum
Eero Saarinen Oval Marble Tulip Dining Table by Knoll 1970s
By Eero Saarinen, Knoll
Located in Aachen, NW
Fine and very nice "small" oval tulip dining table by Eero Saarinen for Knoll International.
The Calacatta marble has an amazing structure and this example comes in a very good cond...
Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Dining Room Tables
Materials
Marble, Aluminum
Saarinen Executive Arm Chairs in Emerald Velvet, Gold Edition, Set of 6
By Knoll, Eero Saarinen
Located in Wilton, CT
We’ve restored this set of 6 Eero Saarinen for Knoll executive chairs using a 100% Cotton Italian Velvet in the color Emerald. Skilled craftsmen h...
Category
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Chairs
Materials
Steel