Eileen Gray

Irish-born designer and architect Eileen Gray (1878-1976) worked mainly in France. She mastered lacquer with the Japanese craftsman Seizo Sugawara, opened her Paris gallery Jean Désert in 1922, and designed the villa E-1027 at Roquebrune-Cap-Martin with Jean Badovici. Her Bibendum chair, Transat chair and adjustable E1027 table joined tubular steel to a new comfort. Original pieces are exceptionally rare; collectors also value authorised editions, such as those by Ecart International.