Pair of Model 45 Armchairs by Alvar Aalto for Artek
View Similar Items
Pair of Model 45 Armchairs by Alvar Aalto for Artek
About the Item
- Creator:Alvar Aalto (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 31.5 in (80 cm)Width: 24.41 in (62 cm)Depth: 25.6 in (65 cm)Seat Height: 16.93 in (43 cm)
- Sold As:Set of 2
- Style:Scandinavian Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:Unknown
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use. New linen webbing.
- Seller Location:Stockholm, SE
- Reference Number:Seller: 16471stDibs: LU3992112227211
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.
- Spanish Colonial Armchair with New Leather Seat and BackLocated in Stockholm, SEA spanish colonial massive wooden chair with broad, curved armrests and with new, thick leather seat and back. Good condition.Category
Antique Late 19th Century Unknown Spanish Colonial Armchairs
MaterialsHardwood
$637 Sale Price25% Off - Pair of Gunnar Ander Candelabras for Ystad Metall, 1970sBy Gunnar Ander, Ystad-MetallLocated in Stockholm, SEA pair of Gunnar Ander seven-armed candelabras in metal with bronze tops. Manufactured by Ystad Metall in the 1970s.Category
Vintage 1970s Swedish Scandinavian Modern Candelabras
MaterialsMetal, Bronze
$490 Sale Price / set30% Off - Pair of Gunnar Ander Candelabras for Ystad Metall, 1970sBy Gunnar Ander, Ystad-MetallLocated in Stockholm, SEA pair of Gunnar Ander candelabras in metal with bronze tops. Manufactured by Ystad Metall. 1970s.Category
Vintage 1970s Swedish Scandinavian Modern Candelabras
MaterialsMetal, Bronze
$280 Sale Price / set60% Off - Pair of Glass & Brass Table Lamps by Carl Fagerlund for Orrefors, SwedenBy Carl Fagerlund, OrreforsLocated in Stockholm, SEA pair of magnificent table lamps by Carl Fagerlund for Orrefors, Sweden. These lamps consist of six discs made of clear crystal glass stacked on a brass base. Condition: The lamps a...Category
Mid-20th Century Swedish Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
MaterialsCrystal, Brass
- Pendants Lamps by Erik Höglund & Einar Bäckström Sweden, 1960sBy Einar Backstrom, Erik HöglundLocated in Stockholm, SEHigh quality ceiling lights in brass, lacquered metal and glass. Simple cubist shapes and superb color matching give these lamps something extra. The lamp parts...Category
Vintage 1960s Swedish Scandinavian Modern Chandeliers and Pendants
MaterialsBrass, Steel
$712 Sale Price / set60% Off - Midcentury Fireplace Tools by Gunnar Ander for Ystad MetallBy Ystad-Metall, Gunnar AnderLocated in Stockholm, SERare set of fireplace tools from Ystad metall desiged by Gunnar Ander. Black iron with handles in blackened hardwood.. Details and stand in brass.Category
Vintage 1960s Swedish Scandinavian Modern Fireplace Tools and Chimney Pots
MaterialsBrass, Iron
$487 Sale Price25% Off
- Alvar Aalto for Artek Model 45 Armchair Chair Black Leather 1 of 6By Alvar Aalto, ArtekLocated in Munich, BavariaRare armchair model 45 from Alvar Aalto made of laminated birch wood and black aniline leather. Manufactured by Artek. The chairs are very comfortable and lightweighted. They are ...Category
Vintage 1950s Finnish Scandinavian Modern Armchairs
MaterialsLeather, Wood, Birch, Lacquer
- Alvar Aalto for Artek Model 45 Armchair Chair Black Leather 1 of 4By Alvar Aalto, ArtekLocated in Munich, BavariaRare armchair Model 45 from Alvar Aalto.Made of laminated birch wood and black aniline leather. Manufactured by Artek. The chairs are very comfortable and lightweighted. They are in ...Category
Vintage 1950s Finnish Scandinavian Modern Armchairs
MaterialsLeather, Wood, Birch, Lacquer
- Pair of Alvar Aalto Armchair 45, Produced by Artek, 1970sBy Artek, Alvar AaltoLocated in Stockholm, SEProduced during the 1970s by Artek, Finland. Good vintage condition with signs of patina and usage.Category
Vintage 1970s Finnish Scandinavian Modern Armchairs
MaterialsBirch, Cane
- Set of Two Model E45 Armchairs by Alvar Aalto for Artek, 1960/1970sBy Alvar Aalto, ArtekLocated in Helsinki, FISet of two model E45 armchairs, design Alvar Aalto, manufactured by Artek, 1960/1970s, birch frame, leather details on the armrests, fabric upholstery. Good vintage condition, minor ...Category
Vintage 1960s Finnish Scandinavian Modern Armchairs
MaterialsLeather, Fabric, Birch
- Alvar Aalto Armchair Model 401, ArtekBy Alvar Aalto, ArtekLocated in Helsinki, FIA beautiful original Alvar Aalto armchair model 401, which was first designed in 1933. The 401 chair was part of the iconic Paimio Sanatorium that basically launched the Aalto name t...Category
Vintage 1950s Finnish Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsFabric, Birch
- Alvar Aalto Pair of Artek Cantilever Armchairs Model 401, 1950sBy Huonekalu-Ja Rakennustyötedas Oy, Alvar Aalto, ArtekLocated in Helsinki, FIA beautiful pair of mid-century Alvar Aalto cantilever 'spring' chairs model 401. This chair is similar to the iconic one known as Pikkupaimio (small paimio) but with a higher back a...Category
Vintage 1950s Finnish Scandinavian Modern Armchairs
MaterialsMetal
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.