Early Production Armchair 400 'TANK' Chair Alvar Aalto, Artek Sweden 1946-1956

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Early Production Armchair 400 'TANK' Chair Alvar Aalto, Artek Sweden 1946-1956

About the Item

Rare early production with original red upholstery model 400 'TANK' lounge chair designed by Alvar Aalto in 1936 and produced by Artek in Hedemora, Sweden between 1946-1956 As voluminous as it is comfortable, Armchair 400 was created by Alvar Aalto in 1936 for an exhibition at the Milan Triennale, where it was promptly awarded a prize. The chair owes its nickname “Tank” to its distinctive wide and sturdy armrests made of form-bent birch lamella armrests that hold an upholstered spring cantilevered frame for a comfortable seat This Tank chair is a beautifully preserved all original early production example, it has been taken well care of by the previous owners in Switzerland The birch armrests have a beautiful aged patina considerate with age and use This chair still has its first and original upholstery in a very honest and good vintage condition A small tear was made in the bottom to check for the age and history of this chair You can see the steel spring interior and the original and old woven jute/vanvas strapping that was used in these early productions Museum quality piece! Please NOTE: Some of the detail photo's in this listing show a pixelated distortion/discolouration on the right and bottom side of the photo, this is due to a photo software problem on my Mac that is being worked on, my apologies for this Detailed condition report is available upon request with extra photo's

Creator:
Artek (Manufacturer),Alvar Aalto (Designer)
Dimensions:
Height: 25.6 in (65 cm)Width: 29.93 in (76 cm)Depth: 35.44 in (90 cm)Seat Height: 13.78 in (35 cm)
Style:
Scandinavian Modern (Of the Period)
Materials and Techniques:
Birch,Upholstery,Wool,Laminated
Place of Origin:
Sweden
Period:
1950-1959
Date of Manufacture:
1946-1956
Condition:
Wear consistent with age and use. Minor fading. Very honest all original vintage condition with wear consistent with age and use, original wool fabric upholstery that show minor fading The chair can talk as it makes a little squeaky noise when you sit in it and wiggle around a bit.
Seller Location:
bergen op zoom, NL
Reference Number:
1stDibs: LU930112794322

Shop All Alvar Aalto

Alvar Aalto

An architect and designer, Alvar Aalto deserves an immense share of the credit for bringing Scandinavian modernism and Nordic design to a prominent place in the global arena. In both his buildings and his vintage furniture — which ranges from chairs, stools, 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 with his wife, Aino Aalto, in 1930 as part of the overall design of a Finnish tuberculosis sanatorium.

Comfortable, yet light enough to be easily moved by patients, the Paimio 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 the headrest and beneath the knees, creating a sort of pillow effect. Aalto’s use of plywood had an 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 Aino, 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.