Eero Saarinen, list of Aline Bernstein’s good qualities, ca. 1954. Aline and Eero Saarinen papers, 1857–1972. Archives of American Art. Smithsonian Institution.
Eero Saarinen (1910–1961)
Finish-born architect Eero Saarinen, the designer of such structural icons as the TWA terminal at John F. Kennedy International Airport (1962) in New York and the Gateway Arch in St. Louis (1965), met his second wife, Aline, on January 28, 1953. Aline, then an art editor and critic at the New York Times, was writing an article on Saarinen’s new General Motors Technical Center (1955) in Warren, Michigan. They fell in love instantly. Saarinen, a great list maker, enumerated her positive traits.
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I attended a weekend writing workshop at Cranbrook, where his father Eliel designed the building, and the son Eero designed the furnishings. I believe his mother designed the textiles, including the bed cover on the twin bed I slept in, the simple curtains on the window, and the rug. They all matched the art deco patterns of the building, including a fabulous dining room.
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful list from Eero to his wife! These are the tender mercies that make life more than worth living. They make it abundant.