Steinberg Meets the Eameses

I was in college, studying graphic design and design history under a Cranbrook alum, circa 1990 just as Mid-Century Modern revivalism was at peak fervor. In other words, I was bathed in it both at school and in the home decor magazines I hoarded. But while MCM’s main manifestation — both originally and in the early ’90s — was the bright, spare, mid-century-only look, I’ve always favored the more layered and eclectic Ray Eames approach. You know, the undersung Ray!, wife of Charles Eames, who was his partner in life and design, and whose design style is on full display in their iconic Pacific Palisades home, aka Case Study House No. 8. Their life as a creative couple — and the ways in which that whole group collaborated and influenced each other — is the most interesting thing about them, to me. But I hadn’t known about their friendship and playful collaborations with illustrator Saul Steinberg (and his wife Hedda Sterne) until I ran across this fantastic, magazine-sized book, Steinberg Meets the Eameses*, in an email from one of my all-time favorite bookstores, William Stout Architectural Books in San Francisco.

I love a beautifully designed show catalog or publication that sits right on the line between “book” and “ephemera,” and this one is a true gem, especially in how it incorporates various samples of Steinberg’s editorial work in ways that convey or even mimic the original formats. It’s the catalog for an exhibition organized by the Eames Institute,** also called Steinberg Meets the Eameses, which you can explore online. And there’s another of their online exhibitions, not to be missed, called Ray’s Hand.

See also: the Taschen books Eames and Case Study Houses

*This one is not available through Bookshop so I have happily linked back to Stout for it, but remember you can leave a tip anytime! 😉
**Eames Institute apparently acquired Stout Books in late 2022 when I had my head turned! Wow.