Skip to main content

Visit Main Menu Block

  • Hours & Admission
  • Accessibility & Amenities
  • Tours & Group Visits
  • Visitor Guidelines

Exhibitions and Events Main Menu Block

  • Exhibitions
  • Events

Art and Design Main Menu Block

  • The Collection
  • Projects & Publications
  • Past Exhibitions

Footer Main

  • Become a Member
  • Give
  • Who We Are
  • Opportunities
  • Rent the Museum

Image

Previous 1 2 3 / 3 Next

Charles Eames, designer

FSW (Folding Screen Wood), 1946

Description

Maker

  • Charles Eames, 1907-1978, American, designer
  • Ray Eames, 1912-1988, American, designer
  • Herman Miller Furniture Co., 1923-present, American, manufacturer
  • Evans Products Co., 1946-49, American, manufacturer

Title

FSW (Folding Screen Wood)

Year

1946

Medium

Molded plywood, birch veneer, canvas

Materials/Techniques

Materials

  • canvas,
  • plywood

Dimensions

171.8 x 152.4 x 7.6 cm (67 5/8 x 60 x 3 inches)

Type

  • Decorative Arts,
  • Furniture

Credit

Jesse Metcalf Fund

Object Number

1999.56

Exhibition History

Exhibition History

Zig-Zag Chairs and Wobbly Mirrors

February 7 - April 27, 2003

Recent Acquisitions

February 18 - April 16, 2000

The multi-talented Charles Eames and his wife, Ray, created some of the most innovative furniture of the modem era. They were pioneers in the use of molded plywood, which they used after World War II to create a wide range of products, from leg splints to lounge chairs. This six­panel folding screen, called the "FSW" (folding screen wood), has become a classic object of post-war industrial design. It combines the warmth of wood with the undulating curves of abstract sculpture. Deceptively simple, it relies on a canvas hinge for flexibility, which allows it to fold upon itself for compact storage. When open, it serves as a portable room divider.

This screen formed part of the original furnishings of a house designed by Providence architect Ira Rakatansky for his sister and brother-in-law. A student of Walter Gropius at Harvard's Graduate School of Design, Rakatanksy prescribed the most up-to-date furniture and lighting fixtures, thus fulfilling the Bauhaus ideal of inexpensive, well-designed houses and interiors for all.

Use

The images on this website can enable discovery and collaboration and support new scholarship, and we encourage their use. This object is in Copyright. This object is FSW (Folding Screen Wood) with the accession number of 1999.56. To request high-resolution files or new photography, please send an email to imagerequest@risd.edu and include your name and the object's accession number.

Feedback

We view our online collection as a living documents, and our records are frequently revised and enhanced. If you have additional information or have spotted an error, please send feedback to curatorial@risd.edu.

RISD Museum

  •  Facebook
  •  Twitter
  •  Instagram
  •  Vimeo
  •  Pinterest
  •  SoundCloud

Footer Main

  • Become a Member
  • Give
  • Who We Are
  • Opportunities
  • Rent the Museum

Footer Secondary

  • Image Request
  • Press Office
  • Rent the Museum
  • Terms of Use