The exhibition "Eames & Hollywood"

The filmmaker Billy Wilder was a long-time friend and collaborator of Charles & Ray Eames. As a present they gave Billy Wilder the very first Eames Lounge Chair & Ottoman, and later they designed the Soft Pad Chaise especially for his needs of a recliner on which he could take brief afternoon naps.

Charles & Ray Eames worked with Billy Wilder on various film-projects. For instance, Billy Wilder collaborated with the two designers on their multiscreen installation ‘Glimpses of the U.S.A.’, which was shown in 1959 at the American National Exhibition in Moscow. Ray Eames designed the opening credits for Wilder’s film ‘Love in the Afternoon’ (1957). And Charles Eames assisted the filmmaker on the sets of various movies, including ‘The Spirit of St. Louis’ (1957), a documentary about the famous aviator Charles Lindbergh. Over the years, Charles & Ray Eames took numerous photographs on location during Hollywood productions. Today these images provide a unique look behind the scenes of American cinema from that era. Charles Eames once said he learned more about architecture from watching Wilder direct than he had anywhere else.

The Art & Design Atomium Museum in Brussels is now mounting the very first presentation of these photographs in the exhibition Eames & Hollywood. The selection primarily consists of images from the Movie-Sets series, a collection of photographs by Charles & Ray Eames taken between 1951 and 1970 on the film sets of Billy Wilder. The exhibition is curated by Alexandra Midal.

The exhibition continues until 4 September 2016.