Circles

In 1947, Charles and Ray separately entered The Competition for Printed Fabrics sponsored by the Museum of Modern Art. The museum’s Department of Industrial Design organized the contest with jurors including architect Marcel Breuer, the Managing Editor of ART NEWS, and directors of multiple MoMA departments. Out of nearly 2,500 entries, four winners and fifteen honorable mentions were awarded cash prizes, a traveling exhibition, and the production of the textiles. “Circles” did not win Ray any awards during jurying, however, Lucia Eames and Mary Murphy of Maharam resurrected the pattern from Ray’s original drawings and transformed into a cotton/polyester textile in 1999. The design is still produced and loved today.