An Artist for the Ages
FEW ARTISTS CAN SAY their work has caused a riot— but this can be accurately claimed by Eileen Gray.
Born in Ireland but raised in London, Eileen was among the first women to be admitted to the Slade School of Fine Art. She studied painting in 1898 before taking on an apprenticeship in a London lacquer workshop. Eileen continued studying lacquer work and cabinet making, establishing herself as a leader in this highly specialized medium. She moved to Paris and took to designing screens and decorative panels, a hallmark of art deco design, but it was her all-white lacquered boudoir that started a riot at the 14th Salon des Artistes Décorateurs in 1923.