Who is Alvar Aalto?
Alvar Aalto, in full Hugo Alvar Henrik Aalto, (born Feb. 3, 1898, Kuortane, Fin., Russian Empire—died May 11, 1976, Helsinki, Fin.), Finnish architect, city planner, and furniture designer whose international reputation rests on a distinctive blend of modernist refinement, indigenous materials, and personal expression in form and detail.
When did Alvar Aalto start making furniture?
Also during this period, in 1938, the Museum of Modern Art in New York City held an exhibition of his work, showing furniture that he had designed and photographs of his buildings. Aalto’s experiments in furniture date from the early 1930s, when he furnished the sanatorium at Paimio.
Why is Aalto famous for architecture?
Whereas Aalto was famous for his architecture, his furniture designs were well thought of and are still popular today. He studied Josef Hoffmann and the Wiener Werkstätte, and for a period of time, worked under Eliel Saarinen. He also gained inspiration from Gebrüder Thonet.
Was Aalto anti-urban?
Their viewpoint was propounded by their own priority given to urbanism, seeing Aalto as an anti-urban, and thus consequently disparaging what they regarded as peripheral non-urban areas of the world: “Essentially his architecture is not appropriate to urban typologies.”
After the Second World War, Alvar Aalto was commissioned to create a master plan for Imatra, which merged three of the rural municipality’s widely separated old villages: Imatrankoski, Vuoksenniska and Tainionkoski. The industrial community also required church amenities, and thus Aalto was commissioned in 1955 to design a new church.
What did Aalto say about the Vuoksenniska?
When presenting his design for the Vuoksenniska Church in the journal Arkkitehti, Aalto criticized contemporary church design: “The ecclesiastical activities of the industrial community must, of course, be resolved with an emphasis on the church’s social activities.
What kind of church did Aalto design?
Aalto worked on the design of sacral buildings throughout his career, but several of his church designs never went beyond competition proposals. Of his realised churches, the Church of the Three Crosses in Vuoksenniska is unique.
What does Finland’s Vuoksenniska Church look like?
The church facade is of brick and concrete, rendered white; the roofing, which hangs down low on the east side, is copper sheet. Vuoksenniska church (Church of the Three Crosses). Photo: Pertti Ingervo, Alvar Aalto Foundation