Kathleen Eileen Moray Gray was born on 9th August 1878 near Enniscorthy, a small market town in South-eastern Ireland. She was the youngest of five siblings and her parents, Eveleen Pounden Gray and James Maclaren, were wealthy people who owned a number of houses. At a young age, Gray’s father exposed her to the realms of art and painting, bringing her to various painting tours in Sicily and Switzerland.

In 1898, she attended the Slade School of Fine Art and studied the fine arts of painting. Gray then moved to Paris and studied Académie Julian and the Académie Colarossi for five years. Upon staying in Paris, she encountered a lacquer shop with an owner named Seizo. He had been studying lacquer work in Japan for five years and the pair decided to work together in the fields of lacquer.

When WWI broke out in 1914, Gray and Seizo were doing poorly in the lacquer business and were living off Gray’s mother’s savings. When peace was declared, the pair moved back to France and were offered a job in decorating an apartment on rue de Lota. The decorations of the department were reviewed and described as innovative and de luxe modern living.

Overjoyed by the positive reviews, Gray opened up her own art gallery featuring her own work that was meant solely for exhibiting and selling. During the late 1920s and 1930s, Gray became involved in the Union des Artistes Modernes. In 1937, she agreed to assist Le Corbusier in his pavilion at the Paris Exposition, where Gray exhibited her design for a holiday centre.

After WW2, she returned back to a war torn Paris and isolated herself from society. She seldom talked to other people except only her closest friends. Gray also went on to do a series of works, but nothing major was produced.

She soon died at the age of ninety-eight, leading a very unusual life with scarcely any help from others. It was not until her death was Gray’s work taken for granted.

One of her most prized and famed works crated by Gray was the Bibendum chair. It was one of the 20th century’s most recognisable furniture. The luxurious chair was originally designed for Madame Mathieu Lévy, who owned a boutique that sold stylish hats. She requested Gray to redesign her apartment in rue de Lota in France,

which took an agonising four years. The Bibendum chair was just one of a plethora of furniture designs intended to be placed inside the apartment.

The Bibendum chair is designed for lounging and socialising. It is comprised of legs that are constructed of polished, chromium plated stainless steel tubes, the seating frame, created out of breech wood and added rubber webbing, inter-woven across the base of the seat for extra comfort. The seat, back and arm rests of the seat are encased in soft, pale leather. The full leather Bibendum chair would sell for two thousand three hundred pounds.

The Bibendum Chair is aesthetically appealing to the eye and is also very inviting. The wide dimensions of 840mm deep and 740mm tall, ensures that the chair is spacious, comfortable and not cramped. The two large cylindrical arms that wind themselves into a semi-circle around the chair “hugs” the user, conveying a safe but relaxing environment. The smooth curves of the chair make it appear sleek and sexy and this further heightens its attractiveness. Moreover, the nature and quality of the leather ensures that it will be more resistant to stains and wear and tear, allowing it to remain appealing for many years to come. The leather is also a pleasure to the sensory organs.