Carved from solid maple wood, the Girard Bird is a part of Vitra’s formidable line of home goods, and is ripe for rediscovery.
Whether used as an ornament or bookend, Girard’s Bird was first produced in 1945 and is a simple and unassuming piece which opens up in detail the more it is examined. Minimalist and elegant, Girard strips back the aesthetic of the bird to its simplest form, to reveal something archaic and yet still magnificently appealing.
Designer Alexander Girard was born to an American mother and an Italian father in 1907 in New York City. Along with his close friends and contemporaries George Nelson and Charles & Ray Eames, Girard was one of the leading figures of postwar American modern design.
Textile design was the main focus of his wide-ranging design career which also encompassed architecture, interior design, furniture design and industrial design. Perhaps his most iconic designs are his collection of hand-painted Wooden Dolls with are now produced under licence by Vitra.
