Scandinavia Design
Vitra
Your Account
Fr
Shopping Bag
En

Wooden Dolls
Alexander Girard, 1963

Wooden Dolls Alexander Girard, 1963

Together with his friends Charles and Ray Eames and George Nelson, Alexander Girard was one of the leading figures of postwar American design. A key source of inspiration for his wide-ranging oeuvre, which primarily focused on textile design, was his passion for the folk art of South America, Asia and Eastern Europe. 

The decorative Wooden Dolls, designed and made by Girard for his own home in Santa Fe, were likewise inspired by his extensive personal collection of folk art. Part decorative object, part toy, the Wooden Dolls were originally created for Girard’s own use. Based on originals found in the Girard Estate held by the Vitra Design Museum, the whimsical assortment of dolls, sometimes joyful, sometimes a little sad, will be a charming addition to any interior.

Wooden Dolls Alexander Girard, 1963
Wooden Dolls Alexander Girard, 1963
Wooden Dolls Alexander Girard, 1963
Wooden Dolls Alexander Girard, 1963

Wooden Doll n°1

H27,5 x 5 x 3,5 cm

Wooden Dolls Alexander Girard, 1963

Wooden Doll n°2

H18,5 x 8 x 4,5 cm

Wooden Dolls Alexander Girard, 1963

Wooden Doll n°3

H14,3 x 8 x 4,5 cm

Wooden Dolls Alexander Girard, 1963

Wooden Doll n°4

H27 x 8 x 4,5 cm

Wooden Dolls Alexander Girard, 1963

Wooden Doll n°5

H27 x 5 x 3,5 cm

Wooden Dolls Alexander Girard, 1963

Wooden Doll n°6

H17,5 x 7 x 4,5 cm

Wooden Dolls Alexander Girard, 1963

Wooden Doll n°7

H30,5 x 4,5 x 3,5 cm

Wooden Dolls Alexander Girard, 1963

Wooden Doll n°8

H21 x 7 x 4 cm

Wooden Dolls Alexander Girard, 1963

Wooden Doll n°9

H20,5 x 6 x 4,5 cm

Wooden Dolls Alexander Girard, 1963

Wooden Doll n°10

H16 x 7,5 x 4,5 cm

Wooden Dolls Alexander Girard, 1963

Wooden Doll n°11

H20 x 7,5 x 4,5 cm

Wooden Dolls Alexander Girard, 1963

Wooden Doll n°12

H18 x 8 x 4,5 cm

Wooden Dolls Alexander Girard, 1963

Wooden Doll n°13

H17,5 x 7 x 4,5 cm

Wooden Doll n°14

H26 x 5 x 4,5 cm

Wooden Doll n°15

H15 x 7 x 4,5 cm

Wooden Dolls Alexander Girard, 1963
Wooden Dolls Alexander Girard, 1963
Wooden Dolls Alexander Girard, 1963

Wooden Doll n°16

H27,5 x 4,5 x 3,5 cm

Wooden Dolls Alexander Girard, 1963

Wooden Doll n°17

H14,4 x 7,8 x 4,6 cm

Wooden Dolls Alexander Girard, 1963

Wooden Doll n°18

H15,3 x 7,2 x 4,7 cm

Wooden Dolls Alexander Girard, 1963

Wooden Doll n°19

H15,4 x 7,7 x 4,7 cm

Wooden Dolls Alexander Girard, 1963

Wooden Doll n°20

H23,4 x 4,9 x 4,3 cm

Wooden Dolls Alexander Girard, 1963

Wooden Doll n°21

H18,2 x 7,6 x 4,8 cm

Wooden Dolls Alexander Girard, 1963

Wooden Doll n°22

H23,6 x 4,5 x 3,4 cm

Little Demon

H14 x 4,6 x 3 cm

Wooden Dolls Alexander Girard, 1963

Cat Large

H39 x 11 x 8,6 cm

Wooden Dolls Alexander Girard, 1963

Dog large

H39 x 11 x 8,6 cm

Wooden Dolls Alexander Girard, 1963

Cat Small

H17 x 5 x 3,6 cm

Dog Small

H17 x 5 x 3,6 cm

Wooden Dolls Alexander Girard, 1963

Mother Fish & Child

H5,5 x 18 x 3,3 cm

H4 x 13 x 2,3 cm

Wooden Dolls Alexander Girard, 1963
Wooden Dolls Alexander Girard, 1963
Wooden Dolls Alexander Girard, 1963

Alexander Girard

Alexander Girard

Born in 1907 in New York City, Alexander Girard was one of the leading figures of postwar American design, along with his close friends and colleagues George Nelson and Charles & Ray Eames.

The primary focus of his wide-ranging oeuvre was textile design. Girard created numerous fabrics for the Herman Miller Company, favouring abstract forms and geometric patterns in a wide variety of colour compositions. Many of his upholstery fabrics remain as timely and vital as ever and are still manufactured and utilised by Vitra today.

Having originally studied architecture, Girard made a name for himself over his long career in the fields of furniture, exhibition, interior and graphic design. Moreover, he was one of the world's most important collectors of folk art. The objects and textiles acquired by Girard on his extensive travels provided him with a rich source of inspiration and ideas. When Rolf Fehlbaum, the son of Vitra's founding family, first visited Alexander Girard and his wife Susan at their Santa Fe home in 1960, Fehlbaum wrote a letter to his parents telling of the deep impression it had made on him, and describing it as the most fascinating house he had ever seen in the United States.

Vitra and the Vitra Design Museum have devoted themselves to the reappraisal and revival of Alexander Girard's work over the past several years. The growing Girard collection in Vitra's product portfolio includes his painted Wooden Dolls, the Environmental Enrichment Panels and various furniture pieces and objects, along with his distinctive fabric designs.

After Alexander Girard's death in 1993, his heirs donated the Girard archive (comprising hundreds of drawings, prototypes and samples) to the Vitra Design Museum. In 2016/17, the museum mounted the exhibition 'Alexander Girard: A Designer's Universe'.