Screen

This design by Eileen Gray was a radical reworking of the traditional folding screen. It is constructed from 28 separate panels. These panels pivot on steel rods and can be adjusted to form a semi-transparent partition that is both decorative and functional. Eileen Gray probably based it on her design for the interior of an apartment in Paris, commissioned by the milliner Suzanne Talbot. There a similar ‘screen’ of 450 panels lined the walls and extended part-way into the room. On this screen each panel is lacquered black, some have a raised square in the centre. This detail gently enhances the surface and softens the overall severity of the geometric design.

Screen · Paris · 1923. Lacquered wood, with steel rods. By Gray, Eileen. Victoria and Albert Museum, London.