zoom
Shop T alk
F u r n i t u r e
E x t r a o r d i n a i r e
Pritam & Eamcs
29 Race Lane
East Hampton, New York 11937
63
i-
3
2
4
-
7
ni
pritameames.com
On May 31,1981, Bebe Pritam
Johnson and Warren Eames
Johnson© opened their studio
furniture gallery, Pritam &
Eames, in a converted 19th-cen-
tury steam laundry building in
East Hampton, New York. Ex-
hibiting a mix of renowned and
up-and-coming furniture mak-
ers, such as Richard Scott New-
man, whose recent work in-
cludes
Child ChairsG,
the show
marked the beginning of the
couple’s long and exciting pro-
fessional journey into the
world of studio furniture.
Prior to opening the gallery,
Bebe worked at the Council
on International Educational
Exchange and Warren worked
in documentary films. What
sparked this career change?
Bebe Pritam Johnson: It seemed
to us that we could be working
for others for the rest of our
lives. Or, we could take a chance
and work for ourselves.
Warren Eames Johnson: We
had already worked together on
some projects, including a docu-
mentary film about the Fonda-
tion Maeght in southern France
in 1966. It was quite an adven-
ture and it gave us a background
in confronting difficult situa-
tions and coming through.
Your opening exhibition fea-
tured prominent furniture mak-
ers such as George Nakashima
and Wendell Castle. How did
such a young gallery come to
represent these makers?
b p j :
The most important reason
is that we went to meet these
artists. W e knew George Na-
kashima’s work through the
Japan Society, and colleagues
there arranged a visit with him
in New Hope, Pennsylvania.
He didn’t work with galleries—
he didn’t need to, actually—but
we spent a pleasant afternoon
with him and he kindly gave us
a chair for our opening.
W E J
:
I
was doubtful that we
could offer Wendell Castle the
kind of showcase that would
interest him, but Bebe was fo-
cused in her pursuit, as she right-
ly felt that his presence would
be important in validating the
gallery. So there it was: focus
and pursuit.
The show also featured some
less known makers at the time,
such as John Dunnigan, Hank
Gilpin and Michael Hurwitz,
who’ve now made their own
mark on the furniture world.
How did you go about looking
for these up-and-comers?
b p j: In the late 1970s, we wrote
about 50 letters to furniture
makers. Only one person an-
swered and that response has
endeared Tim Philbrick to me
forever. I asked him why the
other 49 didn’t answer; he said
that furniture makers don’t
write letters. He said, “If you
want to talk to them, you have
to go to their shops.” And we
did. W e spent a year and a half
visiting all of the makers in our
opening show. Beginning ac-
quaintances on a personal basis
has laid the foundation for en-
during relationships in this field.
How would you describe the
evolution of studio furniture?
Did Pritam & Eames follow
the same path?
W E J
: When we opened, some
makers already referred to their
work as sculpture. Over the
years, the drive for acceptance,
prestige and art prices has cer-
tainly influenced more makers
to bend in this direction.
b p j: W e have never excluded
furniture that is sculpturally
strong. Still, we continue to
champion functional design.
W e’ve always loved the idea
of this furniture being part of
someone’s daily life. We never
felt furniture becomes more
important when labels like art
or design are pinned on it. How-
ever we cannot sell just
good
furniture. There has to be an
extraordinary aspect to it.— s.s.
M A / Boston
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
A New and Native Beauty:
The Art and Craft o f Greene
and Greene
to Oct. 18
mfa.org
A comprehensive exhibition
on the work of California archi-
tecture and design legends
Charles Sumner Greene and
Henry Mather Greene explores
the evolution of the brothers’
unique style. The show displays
sketches, drawings, furnishings
and fixtures, many long sepa-
rated from their houses.
M A/Lowell
American Textile History
Museum
Threads: The Weaving o f Stories
to Sept. 27
athm.org
Through the versatility of tex-
tiles seven contemporary artists
explore and interpret fiber’s
role in the many aspects of
civiliation, including science,
technology, fashion, history
and politics.
MN / Minneapolis
© Northern Clay Center
Artists of n cc
to Aug. 30
northernclavcenter.org
Every two years, the center
shines a spotlight on the func-
tional and sculptural works
of its many talented teachers,
students, resident artists, in-
cluding Ginny Sims, who made
the stoneware
Baskets,
and
clay-camp goers.
014 american craft aug/sep09
