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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
Mid-Century Modern Eero Saarinen for Knoll Red Executive Armless Chairs Set of 6
By Eero Saarinen, Knoll
Located in Secaucus, NJ
Stunning authentic mid-century modern set of six Saarinen executive armless chairs by Knoll.
One of Knoll's most popular designs that achieved supreme comfort through the shape of it...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary American Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Ch...
Materials
Steel, Chrome
Early Eero Saarinen for Knoll Cast Iron Tulip Table with Custom Travertine Top
By Eero Saarinen, Knoll
Located in Ferndale, MI
Tulip table Designed by Eero Saarinen for Knoll. Eero Saarinen vowed to address the "ugly, confusing, unrestful world" he observed underneath chairs and tables - the so-called "slum ...
Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Side Tables
Materials
Travertine, Iron
Eero Saarinen Mid-Century Womb Chair & Ottoman by Knoll
By Knoll, Eero Saarinen
Located in Southampton, NY
This Iconic original Womb Chair and accompanying ottoman is by famed Finnish/ American designer Eero Saarinen and produced by Knoll. The chair and ...
Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Chairs
Materials
Metal
Eero Saarinen for Knoll Tulip Table
By Eero Saarinen
Located in Dallas, TX
The iconic tulip table by Eero Saarinen for Knoll. White laminate top.
Category
21st Century and Contemporary American Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Ta...
Materials
Metal
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
20th Century Eero Saarinen Knoll Table mod Tulip in Calacatta Marble, 70s
By Eero Saarinen, Knoll
Located in Turin, Turin
Eero Saarinen, born in Finland in 1910, moved to the US in 1923, where he grew and graduated from Yale in 1934. He met Charles Eames, with whom he collaborated and won the 1st prize ...
Category
Vintage 1970s American Modern Dining Room Tables
Materials
Marble, Aluminum