Alexander Girard

Alexander Girard (born May 24, 1907, New York City, New York, U.S.—died December 31, 1993, Santa Fe, New Mexico) was an American architect and furniture, textile, graphic, and industrial designer whose vibrant, whimsical designs brought an element of joy to Mid-Century Modernism.

Early life, education, and family

Girard’s father was a French-Italian antiques dealer; his mother, an American, came from a family that was also in the trade. In 1909 the family moved from New York to Florence, where Girard’s younger sister, Lezlie, and brother, Gian Carlo, were born. Between ages 10 and 17, Girard attended Bedford Modern School, a boarding school north of London, where he created the make-believe Republic of Fife. He designed flags, coins, passports, stamps, and varied other objects for this fictional universe. The project was an early example of Girard’s lifelong interest in other cultures, the creation of imaginary worlds, and the concept of total design. All of these concerns manifested in Girard’s later projects and collecting practices.

Girard studied at the Architectural Association School of Architecture in London, graduating in 1929. That same year he was awarded the Gold Medal at the Barcelona International Exhibition for his work on the Italian Pavilion, in which he exhibited his own work alongside that of Florentine artisans. He then received a diploma from the Royal School of Architecture in Rome in 1931.

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The next year Girard moved back to New York, where he earned an architecture degree from New York University in 1935 so he could practice in the United States. He married Susan Needham in 1936, and they moved to Detroit in 1937, where he worked as an interior designer. In subsequent years they had a daughter, Sansi Needham Girard (b. 1945) and a son, Marshall Cutler Girard (b. 1947).

Detrola and association with Cranbrook designers

In 1943 Girard was hired by Detroit radio and television manufacturer Detrola to design the company’s cafeteria, and the company, pleased with that project, kept him on as its head designer responsible for the design of radio and television sets. While in Detroit Girard became a collaborator and lifelong friend of a group of mid-century designers, including Ray and Charles Eames, Florence Knoll, Eero Saarinen, and Minoru Yamasaki, who were associated with the Cranbrook Academy of Art in nearby Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. Indeed, when Girard served as a curator for the influential 1949 “Exhibition for Modern Living” at the Detroit Institute of Arts, he incorporated the work of many of these designers into the exhibition, which introduced visitors to the concept of affordable, accessible modern design for the home. Between 1945 and 1951 Girard headed a design shop in Grosse Pointe, Michigan, that expanded into a firm focused on the design of modern homes for wealthy clients.

Herman Miller

In 1951 Girard was hired in the newly created position of head of the textile division at Herman Miller, Inc., an American furniture company based in Zeeland, Michigan. His first collection was launched the following year and featured 30 designs in 120 color variations. During the more than two decades he worked for Herman Miller, Girard created more than 300 designs in joyful patterns, a contrast to the neutral shades that had been in vogue. In 1953 Girard and his family moved to Santa Fe, New Mexico, where he continued to work remotely for Herman Miller until 1973.

The Miller House, La Fonda del Sol, Braniff International, and other projects

While at Herman Miller, Girard also worked as the interior designer of the Miller House (1957), which was designed by Saarinen for J. Irwin and Xenia Miller, prominent members of the Columbus, Indiana, community who were unrelated to Herman Miller. Girard and Saarinen introduced design elements that include a cylindrical fireplace, a 15-foot (5-meter) square sunken conversation pit, and wall-to-wall display shelves. The home has been designated as a national landmark and is widely recognized as one of the country’s most important examples of Modernist residential design.

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During this period Girard was also behind the design of famed New York restaurant La Fonda del Sol, which opened in the Time & Life Building in the early 1960s. Influenced by Latin American art, Girard designed everything from matchbooks to tableware, menus to servers’ uniforms, using a sun motif and vibrant colors. The restaurant was the embodiment of color, serving Pan-Latin American cuisine in a cosmopolitan Latin American-themed dining room, furnished by the Eameses.

Girard’s other work from this period includes a complete corporate brand redesign (1965) for the airline Braniff International, in what the company called the “End of the Plain Plane” campaign. Girard was brought on by advertising executive Mary Wells Lawrence to design more than 17,000 unique elements for the airline, including a new typeface, seat textiles, serving pieces, and passenger ephemera. Girard also chose the color schemes, including soft pastels and bright primary colors, for the exteriors of the airline’s fleet. In addition to his work on Braniff, Girard also worked for other corporate clients throughout his career, such as General Motors, Deere & Company, and Cummins Engine.

Folk art collection

The colorful imagery, lively patterns, and handcrafted objects of folk art influenced Girard throughout his career. He was a renowned collector, and in 1978 he donated the bulk of his collection of over 100,000 pieces from more than 100 countries to the Museum of International Folk Art in Santa Fe. In 1982 he curated the exhibition “Multiple Visions: A Common Bond,” in which he arranged more than 10,000 works from his collection to create fanciful worlds.

Legacy

In 1993 Girard died at home in Santa Fe at age 86 from complications from Alzheimer disease. After Girard’s death the Swiss company Vitra was licensed to manufacture pieces from his archive, including replicas of the wooden dolls he designed for his Santa Fe home in 1952.