The first major U.K. retrospective of the work of Charles and Ray Eames in 15 years recently opened at the Barbican Art Gallery in London. Pooling together 380 items from private and public collections worldwide, the show tells a comprehensive story of the 45 years their remarkable studio operated in Venice, California.

Naturally there are chairs, but this dense exhibition excels in offering context—and gets most interesting when furniture is forgotten about. It includes the many films that the studio produced, collections that inspired the couple, including masks and model boats, and little clues into a couple very much in love. One of the most touching pieces is a letter sent by Charles to a young Miss Ray Kaiser. “I am 34 (almost) years old, single (again) and broke—I love you very much and would like to marry you very very soon ,” it reads. Not the most persuasive of proposals, but certainly the start of something that changed the world.

Through February 14, 2016, at the Barbican Art Gallery, Silk Street, London; barbicanrg.uk