Alvar aalto admired as much for its sculptural presence as for its comfort, the paimio chair also known as chair 41 seems to test the limits of bent plywood manufacturing. The building was completed in 1933, and soon after received critical acclaim both in finland and abroad. Ea 117 aluminium group chair by charles eames ea 119 aluminium group chair by charles eames ea 105 aluminium group chair by charles eames. Alvar aalto chairs are items of furniture designed by the renowned finnish architect background. Bent plywood, bent laminated birch, and solid birch. From cooper hewitt, smithsonian design museum, alvar aalto, paimio chair 1930 1931, bent birch plywood, solid birch. Armchair paimio 41 design alvar aalto for artek not. Alivar article 505 by alvar alto is commonly referred to as the paimio chair.
The zebraprint upholstery is the original fabric specified by alvar aalto when he introduced the 400 chair in 1936. The paimio 41 armchair with its imposing yet light looking structure is one of the first and most beautiful creations of alvar aalto. Intended for the paimio sanatorium, it has an organic, biomorphic quality that invites the user to sit down. In 1921 alvar aalto got the diploma of architecture at the helsinki institute of technology and his career as an architect started. Buildings designed by alvar aalto 18981976, the preeminent finnish master of architecture, are deeply rooted in the culture and the landscape of finland. Alvar aalto 31 lounge chair for the paimio sanitorium, finland, 1931. The building completed in 1933 as paimio sanatorium was of key importance to the international career of architects alvar and aino aalto. In autumn 1928 the committee in charge of building paimio sanatorium the tuberculosis sanatorium of southwest.
The chairs were designed at a certain angle, which. The original is made from bent birch plywood and bent birch, and the seat form comes in several colors. Buy artek chair 68 design alvar aalto, 1935 alvar aalto designed chair 68 in 1935 with functionality, simplicity, and longevity in mind. The seat is molded from one piece of birch plywood. The paimio chair is named after the town in southwestern finland for which aalto designed a tuberculosis sanatorium and all its furnishings in 19312. Used in the patients lounge, the angle of the back of this armchair was intended to help sitters breathe more easily. Alvar aalto and the problem of architectural research. Around the 1970s, denmark was the finnish architects major customer, so you are more than likely to have come across some of aalto s furniture in private homes. Designed by alvar aalto in 1932, armchair 41 was created for the interior of a tuberculosis sanatorium in the finnish city of paimio and is considered one of aalto s. The doctoral dissertation of marianna heikinheimo, master of science in architecture, master of fine arts, in the field of architectural history architecture and technology. Oy huonekaluja rakennustyotehdas ab, turku, finland. The paimio chair was one of the aalto furniture pieces designed for the interior of the building. Aalto worked with wood laminate to produce a warm, pliable material suitable for making furniture for patients who had to sit several hours at a time.
Together with vyborg viipuri library, completed two years later, it gave the aaltos an international profile. Aalto presents your home to qualified buyers and agents, discreetly, without exposing it to the entire internet. In the same year, alvar aalto made drawings of chairs whose seats and backs were a single piece of molded wood, quickly followed by the first prototype, as well as the paimio chair and three. Alvar aalto 18981976 is probably the most famous finnish architect and designer in the world. Chair 68 can be stacked up to four chairs and is available with upholstery and in a.
The chair was extremely strong, comfortable, and attractive, and could be inexpensively and easily manufactured. Since wood changes over time, the armrests are formed from a single piece that is then split in half, ensuring that as paimio ages, it remains perfectly balanced. Wife and mother who sold discreetly, and without disruption. Inspired by marcel breuers tubular steel wassily chair of 192728, aaltos version represented an innovative demonstration of the possibilities of bent plywood technology.
Aalto s paimio chair and savoy vase also known as the aalto vase are particularly acclaimed throughout the world. He designed this relaxing armchair for the paimio tuberculosis sanatorium in southwest finland. The 400 chair more commonly known as the tank chair, designed by finnish. Aalto originally designed these nowclassic easy chairs, utilising moulded laminated wood, sturdy fabric, and. The idea of the primary stage in alvar aaltos drawings. This stacking auditorium chair is ideally suited as furniture in public spaces.
The noted finnish architect alvar aalto designed this chair in 1929, for a sanatorium. Alvar aalto 1898 1976 was a finnish architect and designer whose work spanned styles including nordic classicism, modernism and monumentalism. Please contact us if you prefer a different upholstery. Paimio chair alvar aalto foundation alvar aalto saatio. In 1935, aalto met factory owners maire and harry gullischsen, with whom he launched artek. With his architect wife, aino, by his side, alvar aalto created stopandstare pieces like the 402 lounger and paimio chair. The most celebrated product of that endeavour remains the paimio chair which was designed for use in the recreation area and which is still produced by artek. Artek armchair 41 paimio design alvar aalto, 1932 the paimio armchair is one of the most beautiful chairs designed by alvar aalto.
Alvar aalto designed the paimio chair in 193233, which revolutionized both the aesthetics and technology of modern furniture design. Saving alvar aaltos paimio sanatorium the getty iris. He never regarded himself as an artist, seeing painting and sculpture as branches of the tree whose trunk is architecture. Paimio chair is said to have been influenced by the curved contours of the finnish lakes. Great wingback lounge chair model 401 designed by alvar aalto for artek, finland, 1933. The profile of the paimio chair is nothing less than striking. Paimio chairs artek no 41 in the paimio sanatorium lecture room, 1930s. Aaltos paimio sanatorium chair, of bent and solid birch, is admired as much for its sculptural quality as for its comfort. Gustaf welin, alvar aalto museum the paimio sanatorium is an excellent illustration of this point, and aalto himself was closely involved with the complexs design at all levelsfrom power generators and baking ovens to specialized furnishings. The seat back is formed from three separate pieces, including a slender curved rail to support the back. Aalto received the design commission having won the architectural competition for the project held in 1929. Aalto trained as an architect at helsinki university of technology.
Paimio was specifically designed for tuberculosis patients to sit in for long hours. Alvar aaltos paimio sanatorium discusses the relationship between architecture and technology in paimio sanatorium 19281933, designed by the renowned finnish master architect, alvar aalto. In his designs, alvar aalto combines the functional ideas of the bauhaus with the. It was the white, cleanlined paimio sanatorium, built in 193033, that not only brought aalto international recognition, but also first put finland on the international map of modern. Alvar aaltos 400 tank chair upholstered with aaltos classic zebraprint upholstery. With the paimio armchair, finnish architect and designer alvar aalto achieved the perfect balance between abstraction, tradition and natural influences.
Alvar aalto paimio sanatorium design museum denmark. Alvar aalto paimio 41 birch bentwood lounge chair in black for artek, finland. Designed in 1931, the paimio armchair is one of alvar aaltos bestknown designer pieces, who designed this accessory of architecture, as he himself called his furniture, for the lounges of his planned paimio. The frame is laminated birch bent into a closed curve with solid birch crossrails. Architects aino and alvar aalto, then a young couple, had developed very rapidly in their ideas about. Artek aalto armchair 41 paimio, black finnish design shop. He designed this relaxing armchair for the paimio tuberculosis sanatorium. The armchair is of a simple, highly effective construction, because the rolledup ends of the seat and back also function as springs affording the sitter a degree of comfort hitherto unknown. He experimented with plywood in designs such as the paimio chair 1932, while the paimio sanatorium 1932 was driven by the idea that the building itself could contribute to the healing process. One of the most important works he was commissioned was the planning of the tuberculosis sanatorium in paimio, finland. Architect alvar aaltos 1933 paimio sanatorium in finland is a pristine modernist landmark set amid dense woodlands. Paimio sanatorium alvar aalto foundation alvar aalto. The beds and reclining chairs had castors so that they were easy to move. Arteks armchair 41, also known as the paimio chair, is one of the most beautiful chairs designed by alvar aalto.
A forefather of scandinavian modernism, alvar aaltos furniture is instantly recognizable for their curvaceous, bentwood frames. Gently used alvar aalto furniture up to 50% off at chairish. One of his earliest designs, it uses laminated birch, an uncommon material for furniture at the time. It received its name because it was developed during the period when aalto was working on the design of the sanitorium in paimio. Like many of alvar aalto s furniture designs, this chair was conceived of for the paimio sanatorium 192732, an isolation hospital for tuberculosis patients. Chairs and table by artek at the aaltodesigned academic bookstore. Paimio sanatorium is a former tuberculosis sanatorium in paimio, southwest finland, designed by finnish architect alvar aalto. The chair was designed by alvar aalto at the same time as the sanatorium and it was chosen for seating in various places including the sanatorium common room. The paimio chair is an icon of 20thcentury design and among alvar aaltos best known and most recognized furniture forms. Together with the paimio chair also other pieces of paimio furniture were presented in 1933 at the. Both the paimio chair and, to a lesser extent, the armchair that immediately preceded it give the impression of being seat units suspended within frames. Designed in 1931 for the paimio sanatorium in finland, the project which brought alvar aalto to fame as an architect, the chair rapidly grew in popularity throughout the world.
Buy artek stool 60 et stools e60 design alvar aalto, 1933 designed by alvar aalto in 1933, the stool 60 is certainly the most copied design classic in the world. The armchair is of a simple, highly effective construction, because the. Advertised as the auditorium chair bar none, the socalled row chair was created in 1929 through the cooperation of master carpenter otto korhonen and alvar aalto. The springy plywood fixed on a closed frame was aaltos brainstorm for. The arms are constructed of layers of bent laminated birch while the aalto paimio chair seat is molded from a single piece of birch plywood in your choice of black or white lacquer. Alvar aaltos paimio sanatorium in finland architectural. For his sanatorium project in paimio, alvar aalto designed numerous pieces of furniture and lamps. His work includes architecture, furniture, textiles and glassware, as well as sculptures and paintings. To celebrate this icon, artek propose it in several versions. Alvar aalto, paimio chair, 1933 stoelen, houten stoelen. Anxious to provide seating that was as welcoming and comfortable as possible, aalto decided against tubularsteel designs and opted for an allwood. The chair was shown to the public for the first time at an exhibition of standard products held in conjunction with the nordic building forum in.
This armchair is named after the paimio tuberculosis sanatorium in southwest finland. The paimio chairs are inspired by marcel breuers wassily chair, but aalto created the chairs with the patient in mind and designed the furniture in the flexible birch tree that would enclose the soft human body. Alvar aalto, an architect and designer, is perhaps best known today for his furniture. The chairs have a birch plywood frame and beige gray fa. Stephanies agent suggested aalto and they beat all the compsin february. I have the impression although i am not sure that my analysis is correct that the attitude o f the intellectual world toward finland is a mixture o f two elements. The chairs framework consists of two closed loops of laminated wood, forming arms, legs, and floor runners, between which rides. Alvar aalto spoke of his many sentimental critics and the fate that their terms decree for projects.
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