A new exhibition dedicated to legendary designers Charles and Ray Eames opens Saturday at the Napa Valley Museum of Art & Culture in St. Helena, bringing furniture, toys, paintings, and personal belongings from one of the 20th century's most influential design partnerships to Highway 29. Dubbed “Eames & Eames,” the show runs through April 18, 2027, at 607 St. Helena Highway.
The exhibit lands at what's become known as The MAC, the museum's flagship expansion into a Highway 29 building once home to Gary's Wine & Marketplace and gourmet retailer Dean & DeLuca, according to KQED. The move was strategic: museum executive director Laura Rafaty noted in 2024 that 68 percent of the Napa Valley Museum's visitors come from outside the local region, and the organization wanted a presence with more foot traffic than its original campus tucked inside the Veterans Home of California in Yountville, per the same report. The museum was founded in 1972 by people concerned with preserving Vintage Hall in St. Helena, before building its Yountville campus in 1998, according to the Napa Valley Museum.
A Collaboration With the Eames Institute
“Eames & Eames” was created in collaboration with the Eames Institute of Infinite Curiosity and curated by Llisa Demetrios, the institute's co-founder, as reported by The Napa Valley Register. Demetrios is the granddaughter of Ray and Charles Eames.
The exhibit explores the Eameses' iterative, hands-on, human-centered design approach through furniture, toys, paintings, graphics, and personal belongings, per the Napa Valley Register's reporting. Charles Eames (1907–1978) and Ray Eames (1912–1988) launched the Los Angeles-based Eames Office in 1941, pioneering mid-century modern furniture, architecture, industrial design, toys, and educational films like Powers of Ten, according to Encyclopaedia Britannica. Their work together produced enduring pieces including the Eames Lounge Chair and Ottoman, the Eames Fiberglass Armchair, and the Eames Aluminum Group, the Register notes.
Ray Eames's Overlooked Role
While Charles Eames was long considered the public face of the Eames Office, he consistently credited Ray Eames — who trained in abstract painting under Hans Hofmann — as an equal creative partner across their designs, according to The Architectress. The two are remembered as a married couple of industrial designers whose Eames Office helped shape the course of modern architecture and furniture design.
Inside the Shared St. Helena Venue
The MAC shares its St. Helena building with Under-Study, a culinary marketplace and counter-service café created by the team behind Michelin-starred PRESS Restaurant. The space includes shared glass windows and a teaching kitchen designed to bridge visual and culinary arts, according to the Napa Valley Museum. Under-Study is located in the MAC's St. Helena building.
The Eames Institute acquired the collection from the Eames family in 2019.
A Planned Museum in Marin
The St. Helena show comes as a museum is planned for the former Birkenstock campus in Novato. Herzog & de Meuron is involved in the project, as reported by San Francisco YIMBY.
Tickets, Hours and Opening Celebration
General admission to “Eames & Eames” costs $25 for adults and $15 for youth ages 6 to 17, with free admission for children 5 and under, according to the Napa Valley Register. An opening celebration is set for Sunday from 4 to 6 p.m., featuring bebop jazz, Charbay cocktails, Fiji Water, and light bites. Tickets to that celebration run $50 for general admission and $25 for Napa Valley Museum members, with both exhibit and event tickets available at napavalleymuseum.org.
