Past is Prologue

A recent visit to the Eames Institute: Past as Prologue exhibit which opened in early June at the Transamerica Pyramid was a welcome inspiration break in the middle of the workday, and luckily just a short distance from the office. The exhibit, which highlights Charles and Ray’s seminal works, created between 1968 and 1978, the final decade of their close collaboration also happens to coincide with the original completion timeline of the Transamerica Pyramid itself and is a fun nugget of design trivia.

Ali exploring the Eames exhibit and exhibit design at the Transamerica Pyramid
Eames exhibit design at the Transamerica Pyramid
Chairs and related furniture design from the Eames Archives at the Transamerica Pyramid
Ali and Paul selecting souvenirs from the Eames exhibit at the Transamerica Pyramid
Close-up of a rainbow of vintage original fibreglass chairs designed by Charles and Ray Eames
Red and black Eames chair minatures alongside photographs and other ephemera from the Eames Archives
Red and black Eames chair minatures alongside photographs and other ephemera from the Eames Archives
Various original vintage chairs from the Eames Archives at the Transamerica Pyramid

The exhibit design is (not surprisingly) top notch. Seeing Eames Century Modern used so beautifully (and large) on the walls alongside Topol from Heavyweight Type Foundry really shows how good those designs are. As someone who licensed the full type family when it was released back in 2010 — and still have the beautiful wood packaging/art designed by House Industries — it was a nice reminder of how much I still like those fonts — and definitely makes me want to make something with them again soon.

There doesn’t seem to be an official closing date for the exhibit beyond Fall 2025, but if you happen to find yourself in SF, it’s worth your time to stop by. William Stout Books and Postscript Coffee both also happen to be just around the corner.