Wright Auction

By the mid-1920s, Gray began working closely with Le Corbusier and J.J.P. Oud as she moved her eye towards architectural design. Her first villa, the E-1027 house (1926—1929), and the Tempe à Pailla (1932—1934) in Alpes-Maritimes, France both became seminal examples of modern architecture. These masterworks housed some of her most iconic design pieces including the Bibendum chair, the Non-Conformist chair, and the adjustable glass topped side table made specifically for E-1027 that allowed one to eat in bed without worry of crumbs. In 1937 Gray’s detailed project designs for a multi-story hotel, a restaurant, and theatre among other structures were exhibited the Centre de Vacances in Le Corbusier’s Pavilion des Temps Nouveaux at the Paris International Exhibition.

The Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce in London appointed Gray a Royal Designer for Industry in 1972. Her pioneering career has been honored by major retrospectives at the Centre Pompidou Paris and the National Museum of Ireland and her work is included in significant collections around the world including the Museum of Modern Art, New York, the Victoria and Albert Museum London, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, and the Irish Museum of Modern Art. Eileen Gray died in Paris in 1976.