Alexander Girard

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Alexander Girard was born in 1907 in New York City and was raised in Florence. A graduate of the Royal School of Architecture in Rome, Girard refined his skills in both Florence and New York.

In 1952, Alexander Girard was hired to head the fabric and textile division of Herman Miller. Girard worked with George Nelson and Charles and Ray Eames. Girard initially established a fabric collection based on his architectural training and went on to create many more patterns and designs, largely inspired by folk art.

T&O (Textile and Objects) 1961. This Herman Miller showplace was a unique space filled with textiles and Girard folk art pieces on Manhattan’s East 53rd street. Textiles and Objects was an innovation demonstrating textiles as an integral part of interior displays for both designers and the individual consumer.

In the mid-1960s, Girard began his design work for a rebranding of Braniff International Airways. This project gave Girard the opportunity to work with textiles, colour, and graphics on a grand scale, redesigning everything from the sugar packets to the livery of the planes themselves. Girard also designed a line of furniture for Braniff's ticket offices and customer lounges. This furniture was also available to the public for one year only by Herman Miller in 1967.

Girard has also been commissioned to design several restaurants including the La Fonda del Sol. Girard designed every aspect of the restaurant in a Latin American/Contemporary theme, including menus, matchbooks, tableware and the ceramic tiles on the floors and walls. As part of the commission, Charles and Ray Eames were brought in to design a fabric covered fiberglass chair and table.

In 1962, Girard and his wife established the Girard Foundation in Santa Fe to manage their art collection that numbered over 100,000 pieces - including toys, dolls, and icons. Girard's design work was heavily influenced by his passion for folk art. In 1978, Girard contributed his immense collection to the Museum of International Folk Art in Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA. The Girard Wing houses the popular permanent exhibition, Multiple Visions: A Common Bond, which showcases folk art, popular art, toys and textiles from more than 100 nations. Opening in 1982, this unorthodox and delightful exhibition was designed and installed by Girard, and remains popular with the public.

View theAlexander Girard collection available at Heal's.