Catawiki Auction Features Rare Eames Artifacts from Venice Beach Studio

A series of online auctions curated by the Eames Office on Catawiki offers over 30 lots of rare artifacts from Charles and Ray Eames's Venice Beach studio at 901 Washington Boulevard. The first sale took place in early October 2025; the second opens December 12 and runs through December 21. Highlights include a collector's edition of the Fiberglass Chair hand-painted by Saul Steinberg, curved plywood leg splints designed for the U.S. Navy, and the limited-edition Eames Elephant reissued by Vitra in 2007 for Charles's centenary. The Eames Office, directed by grandson Eames Demetrios, preserves the couple's legacy. Charles (1907-1978) and Ray (1912-1988) met at Cranbrook Academy of Art in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan in the late 1930s and married in 1941. Their studio operated from 1943 for several decades, pioneering bent plywood research that led to the iconic LCW Lounge Chair Wood (1946). They also designed furniture, architecture, exhibitions, and experimental films. The Eames House (Case Study No. 8) in Pacific Palisades recently reopened after repairs from January 2025 wildfires, with its adjoining Studio accessible for the first time.