Born in 1898 in Kuortane in Finland, Alvar Aalto's early development occurred under the influence of classical modernism. Following the completion of his architecture studies at the Polytechnic in Helsinki, Alvar Aalto travelled extensively through Europe, becoming acquainted with the likes of Le Corbusier, Fernand Léger or László Moholy-Nagy. Through his participation in the Congrès International d'Architecture this field was extended to include Walter Gropius. In 1929 Aalto won the design competition for a new sanatorium in Paimio, a work which can be seen as the foundation for the organic construction that characterized later Aalto works. The endearingly lively furniture designs of the Finnish designer and architect, as well as his accessories, express a desire to find a formal expression of the unity of the human being with his environment. From 1940 Alvar Aalto taught architecture at MIT in Cambridge.
..."Alvar Aalto... Paimio Sanatorium" at Designmuseum Danmark, Copenhagen, Denmark It doesn't sound like being the most extensive showcase opening this year, but with, in the museum's words, the "pop-up exhibition" Alvar Aalto...
...But before everything kicked of in Vienna, we enjoyed the exhibitions Okolo Offline Two – Collecting at the Kunstgewerbemuseum Dresden, Useful Exhibition by Sanghyeok Lee at the DMY Design Gallery Berlin, Alvar Aalto – Second Nature at the Vitra Design Museum and enjoyed a lovely chat with architect Eberhard Lange on the restoration of Egon Eiermann's Wohnhaus Matthies project in Potsdam...
...Following on from the cross-media exhibition "Reason & Intuition: Alvar Aalto & Ola Kolehmainen in Soane", the Pitzhanger Manor House & Gallery present Crafting Narrative, an exploration of storytelling in design... "Alvar Aalto - Second Nature" at the Vitra Design Museum, Weil am Rhein, Germany Alvar Aalto stands like no other for the easy accessibility of 20th century design...
...In addition the Belgian gallery Grand Hornu Images is presenting an exhibition devoted to the lighting design of Alvar Aalto while the Hofmobiliendepot Vienna presents the uglier side of product design... "Alvar Aalto...
"My, my, my, Delilah! Why, why, why, Delilah!" The morning of Friday September 27th 2013 was one of those misty autumn occasions that cause SANAA's immense new Vitra Factory Building in Weil am Rhein to merge, almost unseen, with the grey background. Even...
