Life
1878-1976; b. 9 Aug., Brownswood, her family home nr. Enniscorthy, Co.
Wexford; passed part of childhood in London; one of first women to be
admitted to the Slade School of Art; moved to Paris, 1902; studied under
Japanese lacquer master Seizo Sugawaral became established as a leading
designer of lacquered screens and decorative panels; feature article about
her work in Vogue, 1917; advocated revolutionary design during
1920s and 1930s; worked closely Le Corbusier and others; Jean Badovici
and Jan Wils published feature on her in special issue of newspaper Wendingen (Holland), 1924; travelled to S. France with Jean Badovici; purchased
at Roquebrune, Cap Martin; built ‘E-1027’, a domestic masterpiece
of modernism, 1926-29; later designed ‘Tempa a Pailla’ for
herself at Chemin de Belvessasa, Castellar, 1932-1934; continued designing
furniture and architecture in post-war period; rediscovered by art-world
in 1972 when ‘Le Destin’, a 4-panel lacquer screen of 1913,
sold for 170.000 Frs. at auction in Hôtel Drouot, Paris; feature
articles ensued; d. 31 Oct., bur. Père Lachaise cemetery (her remains
now lying in a communal ossuary; her work shown in Museum of Modern Art
(New York), the Centre Georges Pompidou (Paris), and the National Museum
of Ireland/Collins Barracks in Dublin.
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Notes
The curious name of the edifice they raised there is derived by an alpha-numerical
game, as follows: E for Eileen, 10 for Jean (10th letter), 2 for Badovici
(2nd letter) and 7 for Gray (7th letter).
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