Alvar Aalto Model 45 Armchair Cane Artek, Finland, 1947
View Similar Items
Alvar Aalto Model 45 Armchair Cane Artek, Finland, 1947
About the Item
- Creator:Alvar Aalto (Designer),Artek (Manufacturer)
- Dimensions:Height: 31.5 in (80 cm)Width: 24.81 in (63 cm)Depth: 25.6 in (65 cm)Seat Height: 16.15 in (41 cm)
- Style:Scandinavian Modern (In the Style Of)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1960
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:Roosendaal, NL
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU933018766632
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 A808 floorlamp Valaistustyö Ky Finland 1955By Alvar AaltoLocated in Roosendaal, Noord BrabantSuper rare and unique early 70s production of the A808 floor lamp designed by Alvar Aalto an manufactured by Valaistustyö Ky, Finland 1955. In completely original condition with unpo...Category
Vintage 1950s Finnish Scandinavian Modern Floor Lamps
MaterialsBrass
- Harry Ostergaard Model 61 Dining Chairs Randers Mobelfabrik, 1961By Harry ØstergaardLocated in Roosendaal, Noord BrabantFantastic set of 4 dining chairs model 61 designed by Harry Ostergaard and manufactured by Randers Mobelfabrik, Denmark 1961. The chairs have very nic...Category
Vintage 1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsFaux Leather, Rosewood
- Arne Vodder Teak Dining Chairs Model 422 Denmark 1960By Arne Vodder, SibastLocated in Roosendaal, Noord BrabantVery elegant set of 6 'model 422' dining chairs designed by Arne Vodder and manufactured by Sibast mobler, Denmark 1960. These dining chairs have a high spin...Category
Vintage 1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Chairs
MaterialsUpholstery, Teak
- Horst Bruning Arm Chairs Model 6911 Kill Germany, 1968By Horst BruningLocated in Roosendaal, Noord BrabantElegant set of 4 model 6911 armchairs designed by Preben Fabricius and Jorgen Kastholm, manufactured by Kill International Stuttgart, Germany 1968. These quality chairs have solid st...Category
Vintage 1960s German Mid-Century Modern Chairs
MaterialsStainless Steel
- Maurizio Peregalli Poltroncina Armchairs for Zeus, Italy, 1984By Maurizio PeregalliLocated in Roosendaal, Noord BrabantFantastic set of 10 Postmodern Poltroncina armchairs designed by Maurizio Peregalli and manufactured by Zeus, Italy 1984. These chais have a black painted metal tubular frame covered...Category
Vintage 1980s Italian Post-Modern Chairs
MaterialsMetal
- Herta Maria Witzemann Cane Armchairs Pair Germany, 1954By Herta-maria WitzemannLocated in Roosendaal, Noord BrabantFantastic pair of armchairs designed by Herta Maria Witzemann and manufactured by Wilde & Spieth, Germany 1954. The chairs have solid metal frames and hand...Category
Vintage 1950s German Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsMetal
- Rare Alvar Aalto Cantilever Armchair Model 26, Artek, FinlandBy Alvar Aalto, ArtekLocated in Espoo, FIVery hard to find Model 26 armchair is designed by Alvar Aalto for Artek with frame in steel tube, painted matt black and with seat form pressed birch plywood, lacquered in black. Aalto designed Lounge Chair 26...Category
Late 20th Century Finnish Scandinavian Modern Armchairs
MaterialsMetal
- 1940s Finnish Dining Chair by Alvar Aalto for ArtekBy Alvar Aalto, ArtekLocated in Sagaponack, NYA dining chair in laminated birch with newly upholstered black leather seat and back.Category
Vintage 1940s Finnish Scandinavian Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsLeather, Birch
$5,400 / item - 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 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
- Alvar Aalto Stool 60, 1960's, Artek FinlandBy Artek, Alvar AaltoLocated in Turku, FIIconic Aalto three-legged stool. Stool 60 was officially unveiled to an enthusiastic public in London at a Finnish furniture review in November 1933. The stool’s revolutionary L-leg ...Category
Mid-20th Century Finnish Mid-Century Modern Stools
MaterialsBirch
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.