Alvar Aalto enjoyed an exceptionally rich and varied career as an architect and designer, both at home in Finland and abroad. His work includes architecture, furniture, textiles, and glassware, as well as sculptures and paintings.
After qualifying as an architect from Helsinki Institute of Technology, in 1921, Alvar set up his first architectural practice in Jyväskylä. His early works followed the tenets of Nordic Classicism, the predominant style at that time. In the late 1920s and early 1930s, he made a number of journeys to Europe on which he and his wife Aino Marsio, also an architect, became familiar with the latest trends in midcentury modernism.
Alvar is well known for the work produced during his functionalist phase — during which he adopted the principles of user-friendly, functional architecture. His international breakthrough came in the form of the Paimio Sanatorium, an important functionalist milestone built between 1929 and 1933. Beginning in the late 1930, Alvar’s architectural expression increasingly incorporated the use of organic forms, natural materials, and increasing freedom in the handling of space.
It was characteristic of Alvar to treat each building as a complete work of art — right down to the furniture and light fittings. In 1935, the furniture company Artek was founded in order to promote the growing production and sales of his furniture. For the most part, Alvar’s furniture combined practicality and aesthetics with series production, in line with Artek’s goal encouraging a more beautiful everyday life in the home.
From the 1950s onwards, Alvar’s architectural practice focused primarily on the design of public buildings, such as Säynätsalo Town Hall, the Jyväskylä Institute of Pedagogics —now the University of Jyväskylä — and the House of Culture in Helsinki.
The Alvar Aalto Museum, designed by Alvar himself, is located in what is regarded as his home city of Jyväskylä. He passed away in 1978.