Alexander Girard Furniture
The director of design for the textiles department at Herman Miller, Inc., from 1952 to 1973, mid-century modern visionary Alexander Girard introduced bright, bouncy colors to upholstery and drapery fabrics, created jaunty graphics for marketing and advertising materials and devised motifs for everything from textiles to ceramics based on his true love: folk art from cultures around the globe.
The son of an American mother and an Italian father, Girard (known as Sandro to his friends) was born in New York City in 1907 but raised in Florence. He came from a creative family — his father was a master woodworker — and Girard began drawing and making his own playthings as a youngster. He had a fascination for nativity crèche tableaux, an enthusiasm that likely was the germ for his later interest in folk art. He went on to earn degrees in architecture at schools in both Rome and London before returning to New York in the 1930s and working in interior design.
By the 1940s, he and his wife, Susan, had moved to Detroit, where Girard was head of design for Detrola, a firm specializing in tabletop radios. The elegant bentwood housings that he developed for the devices won him acclaim, but, more importantly, at Detrola he met Charles Eames. The two became lifelong friends, and it was Eames who drew Girard toward Herman Miller, which had no dedicated textile department until Girard arrived, and most of its furniture was upholstered in mundane, “safe” hues. Girard changed all that, introducing fabrics in vivid shades of red, orange, yellow and blue. His early designs incorporated geometric motifs — stripes, circles, square, triangles and such. But toward the end of the 1950s he began to introduce folk art themes into his designs.
Girard did not collect important or expensive folk pieces. Rather he was drawn to simple objects such as handmade toys, figurines and models of animals, buildings and plants. The fabrics that emerged had whimsical, lighthearted motifs depicting, for example, angels, children, birds and flowers. Toward the end of his term with Herman Miller, in an effort to achieve what he termed “aesthetic functionalism,” Girard produced a group of what he called “Environmental Enrichment” pieces — silk-screened cotton panels emblazoned with various graphic designs, from bold geometric patterns to folk art themes. They were meant to divide spaces in offices or the home in lieu of walls while simultaneously functioning as art. Today, panels of vintage Girard upholstery textiles have become premium collectibles. The designer's furniture is less well known, primarily because most of it was created for private commissions.
Girard’s most lasting contribution may be his folk art collection. He and Susan had begun gathering pieces shortly after their marriage, in 1936. By the 1970s, they had amassed the world’s largest collection of cross-cultural folk art, composed of more than 100,000 pieces from around the world. The Girards donated their holdings to the Museum of International Folk Art, in Santa Fe (where they had moved in the ’60s), quintupling the institution’s collection, and a new wing — named for the Girards — had to be built to hold it.
Find a striking range of vintage Alexander Girard seating, tables, textiles and other furnishings on 1stDibs.
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Creator: Alexander Girard
A Vintage Alexander Girard Sun Screenprint On Canvas ca' 1970's
By Alexander Girard
Located in St.Petersburg, FL
A classic and happy, Alexander Girard sceenprint on canvas panel ca' 1970's. Measures approx. 24"x24", mounted on stretcher.
Category
1970s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Alexander Girard Furniture
Materials
Canvas
Maharam Pillow, Checker by Alexander Girard
By Maharam, Alexander Girard
Located in New York, NY
Maharam Pillow
Checker by Alexander Girard
010 Blue Gray/Emerald
Designed by Alexander Girard for the Herman Miller textile division in 1965, checker is a simple checkerboard design...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Alexander Girard Furniture
Materials
Cotton, Polyester
Maharam Pillow, Checker Split by Alexander Girard
By Maharam, Alexander Girard
Located in New York, NY
Maharam Pillow
Checker Split by Alexander Girard
001 Black/White
Checker Split exemplifies Alexander Girard’s lifelong exploration of geometric motifs. Designed for the Herman Mill...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Alexander Girard Furniture
Materials
Cotton, Polyester
Alexander Girard for Braniff Airlines Hexagon Side Table
By Alexander Girard
Located in Seattle, WA
Alongside his contemporaries Charles and Ray Eames and George Nelson, Alexander Girard was a prominent figure in postwar US design. In a departure from the rather austere Modernist a...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Swiss Mid-Century Modern Alexander Girard Furniture
Materials
Aluminum
1960s Alexander Girard Ashtray La Fonda Del Sol Restaurant NYC New York City MCM
By Alexander Girard
Located in Hyattsville, MD
A very rare and vintage New York City relic. No chips, No handling damage. However this example does have some manufacturing defects that are all Photo'd.
Category
1960s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Alexander Girard Furniture
Materials
Porcelain
1960s La Fonda Del Sol Restaurant Salt Shakers Girard Midcentury
By Alexander Girard
Located in Hyattsville, MD
Alexander Girard for Mayer China / Minners. Made in the 1960s. Bollard-form salt shakers. Identical each with single hole. No chips, no cracks. Some crazing to the white bands around...
Category
1960s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Alexander Girard Furniture
Materials
Porcelain
A Vintage Alexander Girard Occasional Table for Herman Miller Ca' 1960's
By Alexander Girard
Located in St.Petersburg, FL
A rare marble top table by Alexander Girard for Herman Miller, circa 1960's. Made for a short period for Braniff International.
Category
1960s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Alexander Girard Furniture
Materials
Marble, Aluminum
1965 Alexander Girard for Braniff Airlines & Herman Miller Glass Coffee Table
By Alexander Girard
Located in Seattle, WA
Alongside his contemporaries Charles and Ray Eames and George Nelson, Alexander Girard was a prominent figure in postwar US design. In a departure from the rather austere Modernist a...
Category
1960s North American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Alexander Girard Furniture
Materials
Aluminum
Alexander Girard & George Nelson Inc. Wall Mounted Vanity, Model 1030
By George Nelson, Alexander Girard
Located in Seattle, WA
An unusual and rare wall mounted vanity from the 1964 Herman Miller accessory line to the CSS storage system. A collaborative design by Alexander Girard...
Category
1960s North American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Alexander Girard Furniture
Materials
Aluminum
Color Wheel Ottoman by Alexander Girard for Herman Miller, America
By Alexander Girard
Located in Culver City, CA
America circa 1967
Color Wheel Ottoman on 5 chrome legs. by Alexander Girard for Herman Miller
36”dia x 12.5”h
Ref. MOD1086
$ 4,800
Category
1960s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Alexander Girard Furniture
Materials
Chrome
Herman Miller Chairs Alexander Girard Miller Stripe
By Alexander Girard, Herman Miller
Located in BROOKLYN, NY
Post Modern Herman Miller Chairs with gorgeous Alexander Girard Miller Stripe fabric. Added bonus is that these can stack. Up to 3 available
Arm H 25''
ask for custom shipping quote
Category
1980s American Post-Modern Vintage Alexander Girard Furniture
Materials
Metal
Alexander Girard Carolus Magnus Plates, The Miller House
By Georg Jensen, Alexander Girard
Located in BROOKLYN, NY
Alexander Girard created these plates for the Miller House, one of the most iconic examples of Mid-Century designs. These are original with very little use and in amazing condition. ...
Category
1950s German Mid-Century Modern Vintage Alexander Girard Furniture
Materials
Ceramic
Charles Eames for Herman Miller Sofa Compact in Jacobs Coat fabric by Girard
By Herman Miller, Charles Eames, Alexander Girard
Located in Chicago, IL
Charles Eames for Herman Miller Sofa Compact in Jacobs Coat fabric by Alexander Girard 1954
Sofa back folds over for easy transport.
35¼" High × 71½" Width × 29" Deep X 16" Seat ...
Category
1950s Vintage Alexander Girard Furniture
Materials
Metal, Steel
Maharam Pillow, Names by Alexander Girard
By Maharam, Alexander Girard
Located in New York, NY
Maharam Pillow
Names by Alexander Girard
001 Crimson on White
In his design work, Alexander Girard repeatedly explored an interest in the characters and symbols that comprise langu...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Alexander Girard Furniture
Materials
Cotton, Polyester
Rare Alexander Girard Fabric Herman Miller Eames Black Fiberglass Arm Shell
By Charles Eames, Alexander Girard
Located in Buffalo, NY
Extremely rare Alexander Girard Jacobs Coat Eames fiberglass arm shell chair by Herman Miller. There are 6 available,, ***PRICE PER CHAIR , Good original condition,, fabric no longe...
Category
1970s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Alexander Girard Furniture
Materials
Metal
1965 Alexander Girard for Braniff Airlines & Herman Miller Marble Coffee Table
By Alexander Girard
Located in Seattle, WA
Alongside his contemporaries Charles and Ray Eames and George Nelson, Alexander Girard was a prominent figure in postwar US design. In a departure from the rather austere Modernist a...
Category
1960s North American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Alexander Girard Furniture
Materials
Aluminum
Marilyn Neuhart Alexander Girard Doll Textiles and Objects
By Alexander Girard, Marilyn Neuhart
Located in Atlanta, GA
Rare Hand Made Doll, by Marilyn Neuhart for Textiles & Objects, which was a "pop up shop" conceived by Alexander Girard and sponsored by Herman Miller in May of 1961. See the last tw...
Category
1960s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Alexander Girard Furniture
Materials
Wool, Linen, Silk
Environmental Enrichment Panel by Alexander Girard for Herman Miller "GEOMETRY"
By Herman Miller, Alexander Girard
Located in Buffalo, NY
Environmental Enrichment Panel by Alexander Girard for Herman Miller "GEOMETRY" Re-relesed in 2000s,, This panel has been dis-continued,, No longer being produced,, Great original condition. Hand delivery avail to New York City or anywhere en route from Buffalo NY
Girard Environmental Enrichment...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary American Mid-Century Modern Alexander Girard Furniture
Materials
Metal
Marilyn Neuhart Alexander Girard Doll from Textiles & Objects
By Marilyn Neuhart, Alexander Girard
Located in Atlanta, GA
Rare Hand Made Doll, by Marilyn Neuhart for Textiles & Objects, which was a "pop up shop" conceived by Alexander Girard and sponsored by Herman Miller in May of 1961. See the last tw...
Category
1960s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Alexander Girard Furniture
Materials
Wool, Linen, Silk
Alexander Girard Table for The Dragon Peak House
By Eero Saarinen, Alexander Girard, Herman Miller
Located in BROOKLYN, NY
Rare collectors item designed by Alexander Girard.
Dining table from Dragon Peak House.
This table is one of four examples created for the Dragon Peak House. Features four folding ...
Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Alexander Girard Furniture
Materials
Steel
Alexander Girard Ashtray/ Match Holder from La Fonda Del Sol
By Alexander Girard
Located in Highland, IN
This sweet, sculptural piece designed by Alexander Girard and made by Mayer China Minners & Co for the NY restautant La Fonda del Sol. The glazed porc...
Category
1960s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Alexander Girard Furniture
Materials
Porcelain
Alexander Girard for Herman Miller Neck Ties. NOS. Silk. Vintage 1960s, Signed
By Alexander Girard, Herman Miller
Located in Kansas City, MO
Super rare neckties designed by Alexander Girard for Herman Miller, 1960s. We don't think these were ever in mass production. All th...
Category
1960s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Alexander Girard Furniture
Materials
Silk
One of a Kind Midcentury Side Table Designed by Alexander Girard
By Alexander Girard
Located in BROOKLYN, NY
One of a kind Midcentury side table designed by Alexander Girard. handmade terrazzo table with inlay on steel frame legs. Features Girards early signature ( triangle, square, circle)...
Category
1940s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Alexander Girard Furniture
Materials
Steel
Marilyn Neuhart Alexander Girard Doll Textiles & Objects
By Marilyn Neuhart, Alexander Girard
Located in Atlanta, GA
Rare Hand Made Doll, by Marilyn Neuhart for Textiles & Objects, which was a "pop up shop" conceived by Alexander Girard and sponsored by Herman Miller in May of 1961. See the last tw...
Category
1960s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Alexander Girard Furniture
Materials
Wool, Linen, Silk
1965 Alexander Girard Side Table by Herman Miller for Braniff Airlines
By Alexander Girard, Herman Miller
Located in Pasadena, TX
1965 Alexander Girard for Braniff airlines granite side table
Alexander Girard was a prominent figure in postwar US design. In a departure from the rather austere Modernist aesth...
Category
Mid-20th Century North American Mid-Century Modern Alexander Girard Furniture
Materials
Granite, Aluminum
Marilyn Neuhart Alexander Girard Doll from Textiles and Objects
By Alexander Girard, Marilyn Neuhart
Located in Atlanta, GA
Rare Hand Made Doll, by Marilyn Neuhart for Textiles & Objects, which was a "pop up shop" conceived by Alexander Girard and sponsored by Herman Miller in May of 1961. See the last tw...
Category
1960s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Alexander Girard Furniture
Materials
Wool, Linen, Silk
Marilyn Neuhart Alexander Girard Doll Textiles & Objects
By Alexander Girard, Marilyn Neuhart
Located in Atlanta, GA
Rare Hand Made Doll, by Marilyn Neuhart for Textiles & Objects, which was a "pop up shop" conceived by Alexander Girard and sponsored by Herman Miller in May of 1961. See the last tw...
Category
1960s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Alexander Girard Furniture
Materials
Wool, Linen, Silk
Cabinet by Alexander Girard for George Nelson, USA C. 1965
By Alexander Girard
Located in Jersey City, NJ
One of four cabinets with sliding doors and open pulls made for George Nelson's office and designed by Alexander Girard. The cabinet is in its original condition with its original "G...
Category
1960s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Alexander Girard Furniture
Materials
Metal
C.1972 Original Alexander Girard Fabric Geometric Environmental Enrichment Panel
By Alexander Girard
Located in Philadelphia, PA
These are original Screen-Printed Fabric Panels, designed by Alexander Girard in ca. 1972. We have 22 panels available, and the listed price is for each individual piece. These are t...
Category
1970s American Modern Vintage Alexander Girard Furniture
Materials
Fabric
Rare Alexander Girard Detrola Radio, circa 1946, Modernist
By Alexander Girard
Located in Buffalo, NY
Nice original working condition,, replaced back..
Signed with stamped manufacturer’s mark to underside: [12132].
USA
Medium
Design/Decorative Art
Manufacturer
Detrola Radio...
Category
1940s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Alexander Girard Furniture
Materials
Brass
1967 Rare Alexander Girard & Charles Eames Coffee Table with Black Laminate Top
By Herman Miller, Alexander Girard
Located in Philadelphia, PA
Listed for sale is an exceptionally rare coffee table designed by renowned designers Alexander Girard and Charles Eames. This design was part of a table collection, which was worked ...
Category
1960s American Modern Vintage Alexander Girard Furniture
Materials
Aluminum
Eames for Herman Miller Black Slate and Chrome “La Fonda” Coffee Table
By Herman Miller, Charles and Ray Eames, Alexander Girard
Located in Shippensburg, PA
"LA FONDA" BLACK SLATE AND CHROME COFFEE TABLE
Designed by Charles and Ray Eames for Herman Miller unlabeled
Item # 204IJG23P
A table originally designed by Charles and Ray Eames ...
Category
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Alexander Girard Furniture
Materials
Slate, Chrome
Modernist Alexander Girard Fabric Chairs by Peter Protzmann for Herman Miller
By Herman Miller, Alexander Girard, Peter Protzmann
Located in Buffalo, NY
Peter Protzman’s design career began in Michigan where he spent over 10 years with Herman Miller working alongside such design luminaries as Charles and Ray Eames and George Nelson. ...
Category
1970s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Alexander Girard Furniture
Materials
Metal, Chrome
Maharam Pillow, Lanalux by Alexander Girard, 1970
By Alexander Girard, Maharam
Located in New York, NY
Maharam pillow
Lanalux by Alexander Girard, 1970
002 Umber
Exploring texture, fiber variation, and color, Lanalux is a timeless and versatile textile that was originally designed b...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Alexander Girard Furniture
Materials
Wool
Maharam Pillow, Quatrefoil by Alexander Girard
By Maharam, Alexander Girard
Located in New York, NY
Maharam Pillow
Quatrefoil by Alexander Girard
001 Silver
Alexander Girard drew inspiration from his world travels, as well as from his fascination with traditional folk art. Quatre...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Alexander Girard Furniture
Materials
Cotton, Nylon
Maharam Pillow, Palio by Alexander Girard
By Maharam, Alexander Girard
Located in New York, NY
Maharam Pillow
Palio by Alexander Girard
002 Sky
Palio by Alexander Girard, 1964 draws its motifs, colors and name from the famous bareback horse race held semi-annually in Siena, I...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Alexander Girard Furniture
Materials
Cotton, Nylon
Charles Eames Alexander Girard Shell Chairs in Two-Tone Checkerboard
By Alexander Girard, Charles Eames
Located in Chicago, IL
A good pair of orange and yellow Charles Eames and Alexander Girard chairs for Herman Miller. Custom order label on underside. Dated May 6, 1974. More pics to come.
Upholstery is in...
Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Alexander Girard Furniture
Materials
Fiberglass
Coffee Table by Alexander Girard & Charles Eames for La Fonda NYC 1960
By Alexander Girard
Located in Jersey City, NJ
Alexander Girard designed coffee or cocktail table for La Fonda de Sol Restaurant in Manhattan's Time & Life building in 1960 where he designed the furniture, dinnerware and logos an...
Category
1960s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Alexander Girard Furniture
Alexander Girard Coffee Table by Herman Miller
By Herman Miller, Alexander Girard
Located in Highland, IN
Alexander Girard's model #66350 coffee table was part of a suite of furniture originally designed for Braniff Airlines. Produced by Herman Miller for a single year in 1967, these rar...
Category
1960s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Alexander Girard Furniture
Materials
Aluminum
Vintage Alexander Girard Side Chair for Herman Miller
By Herman Miller, Alexander Girard
Located in Pasadena, TX
A vintage Alexander Girard armchair. The chair is upholstered in a olive color fabric. The classic color tone allow for the armchair to be a g...
Category
1960s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Alexander Girard Furniture
Materials
Aluminum
Eames LKH-2 Lounge with Girard Upholstery by Herman Miller
By Alexander Girard, Charles and Ray Eames, Herman Miller
Located in Highland, IN
This terrific example of the Eames LKH-2 easy chair has a black wire seat, a bikini pad in magenta naugahyde designed by Alexander Girard and a zinc lounge ...
Category
1960s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Alexander Girard Furniture
Materials
Steel
1967 Rare Alexander Girard/Ray Eames/Charles Eames Coffee Table w/ Gold Laminate
By Alexander Girard, Herman Miller
Located in Philadelphia, PA
Listed for sale is an exceptionally rare coffee table designed by renowned designers Alexander Girard, Ray Eames, and Charles Eames. This design was part of a table collection, which...
Category
1960s American Modern Vintage Alexander Girard Furniture
Materials
Aluminum
1967 Prototype Alexander Girard/Ray Eames/Charles Eames Coffee Table
By Herman Miller, Alexander Girard
Located in Philadelphia, PA
Listed for sale is an exceptionally rare coffee table designed by renowned designers Alexander Girard, Ray Eames, and Charles Eames. It appears that this was a collaborative work with a top material pattern designed by Ray Eames and Alexander Girard. The base was then designed by Ray and Charles Eames (and the Eames office) and matches other La Fonda table...
Category
1960s American Modern Vintage Alexander Girard Furniture
Materials
Aluminum
Alexander Girard furniture for sale on 1stDibs.
Alexander Girard furniture are available for sale on 1stDibs. These distinctive items are frequently made of fabric and are designed with extraordinary care. There are many options to choose from in our collection of Alexander Girard furniture, although gray editions of this piece are particularly popular. We have 37 vintage editions of these items in-stock, while there is 8 modern edition to choose from as well. Many of the original furniture by Alexander Girard were created in the mid-century modern style in north america during the 20th century. If you’re looking for additional options, many customers also consider furniture by Charak Furniture Company, Phillip Lloyd Powell, and Kittinger. Prices for Alexander Girard furniture can differ depending upon size, time period and other attributes — on 1stDibs, these items begin at $150 and can go as high as $250,000, while a piece like these, on average, fetch $2,300.
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