The Hang-It-All was produced at a time when husband and wife Charles and Ray Eames were designing toys and furniture for children. Amongst the colourful building blocks and fanciful face masks came this playful piece inspired by the formation of electrons and atoms in the molecular structure.
The design hit the market in 1953, a time of great belief in science and technology. The electron microscope exposed a new and detailed natural world and anything seemed possible and the Hang-it-all coat rack played on the scientific imagery popular at that time.
And over half a century later this unbounded belief in scientific discovery is entering the collective imagination once again. Head to the Welcome Collection to see how it continues to influence art and design. Even though today’s objects are inspired by higher resolution imaging and the capabilities of nanotechnology, the Eameses coat rack still holds its own alongside.