Eileen Gray

The Centre Pompidou is holding a major retrospective devoted to the unique work of Irish designer Eileen Gray (1879 - 1976), a pioneering artist and modernist.

Although critics tend to divide her designs into two camps - decorative and architectural - the Centre Pompidou presents her body of work as one entity, incorporating her drawing, painting, lacquering, photography, interior decoration and architecture.

In her early life she was influenced by Art Nouveau, in particular the work of Glaswegian artist and designer Charles Rennie Mackintosh, and she went on to invent design classics such as the Bibendum Chair.

However Gray was neglected for much of her career, only getting the recognition she deserved in the 1960s. Never having developed an industrial production, her original pieces are unique and rare.

In December 2012 one of her wooden screens, used as an apartment room divider, sold at auction in New York for more than $1.8 million, while in 2009 one of her arm chairs sold at auction in Paris for €21.9 million.

She died in her adopted city of Paris in 1976 aged 98. Today she is rated alongside the likes of Le Corbusier as one of the most important designers of the 20th century.