Alvar Aalto 402 Series Armchair for Artek, circa 1960
View Similar Items
Alvar Aalto 402 Series Armchair for Artek, circa 1960
About the Item
- Creator:Alvar Aalto (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 27.17 in (69 cm)Width: 24.02 in (61 cm)Depth: 29.14 in (74 cm)
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (In the Style Of)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:circa 1960
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:Barcelona, ES
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU1427222390192
Alvar Aalto
An architect and designer, Alvar Aalto deserves an immense share of the credit for bringing Scandinavian modernism to a prominent place in the global arena. In both his buildings and in his vintage furniture — which ranges from chairs, tables and lighting to table- and glassware — Aalto’s sensitivity to the natural world and to organic forms and materials tempered the hardness of rationalist design.
Relatively few Aalto buildings exist outside Finland. (Just four exist in the United States, and only one — the sinuous 1945 Baker House dormitory at M.I.T. — is easily visited.) International attention came to Aalto, whose surname translates to English as “wave,” primarily through his furnishings.
Instead of the tubular metal framing favored by the Bauhaus designers and Le Corbusier, Aalto insisted on wood. His aesthetic is best represented by the Paimio armchair, developed in 1930 as part of his overall design of a Finnish tuberculosis sanatorium. Comfortable, yet light enough to be easily moved by patients, the chair’s frame is composed of two laminated birch loops; the seat and back are formed from a single sheet of plywood that scrolls under at the headrest and beneath the knees, creating a sort of pillow effect. Aalto’s use of plywood had enormous influence on Charles and Ray Eames, Arne Jacobsen, Marcel Breuer and others who later came to the material.
Concerned with keeping up standards of quality in the production of his designs, Aalto formed the still-extant company Artek in 1935, along with his wife, Aino Aalto, whose glass designs were made by the firm. In the latter medium, in 1936 the Aaltos together created the iconic, undulating Savoy vase, so-called for the luxe Helsinki restaurant for which the piece was designed.
Artek also produced Aalto pendants and other lighting designs, many of which — such as the Angel’s Wing floor lamp and the Beehive pendant — incorporate a signature Aalto detail: shades made of concentric enameled-metal rings graduated down in diameter. The effect of the technique is essential Alvar Aalto: at once precise, simple, and somehow poetic.
Find a collection of vintage Alvar Aalto stools, vases, dining tables and other furniture on 1stDibs.
- Alvar Aalto Stool for Artek, circa 1960By Alvar AaltoLocated in Barcelona, BarcelonaStool designed by Alvar Aalto, circa 1960. Manufactured by Artek, (Finland) Leather top, wood legs and structure. In great original condition, with minor wear consistent with age an...Category
Vintage 1960s Finnish Mid-Century Modern Stools
MaterialsLeather, Wood
- Alvar Aalto Stool in Leather for Artek, circa 1960By Alvar AaltoLocated in Barcelona, BarcelonaStool designed by Alvar Aalto, circa 1960. Manufactured by Artek (Finland). New leather top, wood legs and structure. In great original condition, with minor wear consistent wit...Category
Vintage 1960s Finnish Mid-Century Modern Stools
MaterialsLeather, Wood
- Alvar Aalto X602 Stool for Artek, circa 1950By Artek, Alvar AaltoLocated in Barcelona, Barcelona'Fan leg' stool, model no. X602 designed by Alvar Aalto. Manufactured by Artek, Finland, circa 1950. In good original condition, with minor wear consistent with age and use, pres...Category
Vintage 1950s Finnish Mid-Century Modern Stools
MaterialsLeather, Wood
- Alvar Aalto Glass Bowl Savoy, circa 1960By Alvar AaltoLocated in Barcelona, BarcelonaGlass designed by Alvar Aalto, circa 1960. Manufactured in Finland. In original condition, with minor wear consistent with age and use, preserving a beautiful patina. Hugo Alv...Category
Vintage 1960s Finnish Mid-Century Modern Decorative Bowls
MaterialsGlass
- Alvar Aalto Glass Bowl Savoy, circa 1960By Alvar AaltoLocated in Barcelona, BarcelonaGlass designed by Alvar Aalto, circa 1960. Manufactured in Finland. In original condition, with minor wear consistent with age and use in the structure some broken little piece o...Category
Vintage 1960s Finnish Mid-Century Modern Decorative Bowls
MaterialsGlass
- Alvar Aalto Extra Large Dining Table, circa 1960By Alvar AaltoLocated in Barcelona, BarcelonaDining table designed by Alvar Aalto, circa 1960 Special commission, unique piece of measure: 246 x 140 x73 cm Wood legs and structure. In great original condition, with minor...Category
Vintage 1960s Finnish Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Tables
MaterialsWood
- Alvar Aalto 402 Series pair of Armchair for Artek, circa 1960, lambskinBy Alvar Aalto, ArtekLocated in Esbjerg, DKLounge chairs designed by Alvar Aalto manufactured, circa 1960. New upholstered with lambskin Curved birch plywood and braided vegetable fiber. Measures: 74 x 61 x 69 cm.Category
Vintage 1960s Finnish Scandinavian Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsSheepskin, Birch
- Alvar Aalto set of Armchairs for Artek, circa 1960By Alvar Aalto, ArtekLocated in Esbjerg, DKLounge chairs designed by Alvar Aalto manufactured, circa 1960. Curved birch plywood and braided vegetable fiber.Category
Vintage 1960s Finnish Scandinavian Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsBirch
$1,921 / item - Rare Version of 402 Armchair by Alvar Aalto for Artek, 1950sBy Alvar Aalto, ArtekLocated in Helsinki, FIRare model 402 armchair by Alvar Aalto for Artek from the 1950s with wedges on the legs. Lacquered birch legs, red woolblend fabric upholstery. Good vinta...Category
Vintage 1950s Finnish Scandinavian Modern Armchairs
MaterialsFabric, Birch
- Alvar Aalto Pair of Artek Cantilever Armchairs Model 402, 1950sBy Huonekalu-Ja Rakennustyötedas Oy, Alvar Aalto, ArtekLocated in Helsinki, FIA beautiful pair of mid-century Alvar Aalto cantilever 'spring' chairs model 402, also known as Pikkupaimio (small paimio) associated with the legendary Paimio Sanatorium designed by Aalto. The chairs are lightweight and can be situated practically in any room or interior, and are easily moved around due to their lightness, both in weight and in appearance. The chairs have beautiful patina and are reupholstered in black premium fabric. Both chairs are stamped "Artek Aalto design Made in Finland...Category
Vintage 1950s Finnish Scandinavian Modern Armchairs
MaterialsMetal
- Paire de fauteuils “402” d’Alvar Aalto Pour Artek, 1960By Alvar AaltoLocated in Bruxelles, BEFauteuils de la série “402” d’Alvar Aalto pour Artek, 1960. Structure en bouleau courbé, laqué et rembourrage en raphia.Category
Vintage 1960s Finnish Armchairs
MaterialsBirch
- Early Model 402 Armchair by Alvar Aalto for Artek, Made in Finland, 1930sBy Alvar AaltoLocated in Detroit, MIThe Model 402 lounge chair or ‘Atelje’ chair was designed by Alvar and Aino Aalto in 1933 for and is considered a masterpiece of modernist furniture design. The Classic, well-balance...Category
Mid-20th Century Finnish Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsFabric, Birch, Bentwood
Recently Viewed
View AllRead More
The Very Modern Love Story of Mid-Century Design Duo Alvar and Aino Aalto
A power couple before the term existed, the influential pair made work that still resonates today.
What Makes Scandinavian Modernism and Nordic Design So Irresistible?
Andrew Duncanson, founder of the Stockholm- and London-based gallery Modernity, weighs in on the masters of mid-century furniture and decorative arts.