Alvar Aalto
Image rights
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an armchair, "41, Paimio", O.y Huonekalu-ja Rakennustyötehdas, Finland, 1930-40s.
The frame in bent laminated birch, seat in black lacquered plywood, stamped figure 7 underneath the leg. Height 63 cm.
The model was designed for the Paimio Sanatorium in Finland in 1931-32
Wear, retouched.
Provenance
Erik Andersson, 'Villa Mamre', a property from ca 1900 outside of Gävle. Reportedly, this chair was purchased in the 1930s along with other Aalto furniture. Thence by descent.
Literature
Ed. Thomas Kellein, "Alvar & Aino Aalto. Design. Collection Bischofberger", Hatje Cantz Verlag, Germany 2004. The model is depicted in this color scheme on cover of the book, as well as on page 40.
Designer
Alvar Aalto is one of Finland's most prominent architects and designers and one of Scandinavia's biggest proponents of modern architecture and design. Several of the furniture and vases he designed are today considered iconic design classics, including the Savoy vases, the Beehive lamp, and Armchair, model '31'.Alvar Aalto is the most internationally famous Finnish architect and designer. Aalto was a great ambassador for Finnish design at a time when the Finnish people were thinking about how to present themselves to the rest of the world. He gave equal weight to form and function, and was inspired by the Finnish landscape. Aalto is one of the most important representatives of modern architecture and has created its own architecture direction, whose aesthetic effect is based on careful planning of the buildings in relation to the environment, a human dimension and good sense of material.
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