On January 25, 2019, it will be 125 years since the birth of Alvar Aalto’s first wife, the architect Aino Aalto (1894̶̶ ̶1949).

 

Alongside the architect couple’s joint projects, Aino Aalto (née Marsio) also had an important role as an independent designer. She was Artistic Director of the interior design company Artek founded in 1935 and ran the firm in 1941 ̶ 49, right up to her early death.

Aino Aalto worked in accordance with the modern, social ideals of her day. Her design work usually sprang from everyday practical needs, whether it be drawing kindergarten and maternity clinic furnishings, multi-purpose furnishing solutions for small apartments, or comprehensive interior designs for private homes.

Everything that came to life on Aino’s drafting table was of high quality and its aesthetics thought-out right down to the finest detail. We could say that in her design work she sought “to make the everyday sublime”, and in this she succeeded admirably. It was her pencil that created, for instance, the Aino Aalto (formerly Bölgeblick) series of glasses – nowadays a popular classic in homes, too – printed fabrics for Artek’s range, along with unique light fittings and pieces of furniture.

Anniversary to be commemorated in Jyväskylä and Helsinki

On Aino Aalto’s birthday, January 25, 2019, visitors can find out about this much-loved designer’s working process in the Aalto House in Helsinki and at the Alvar Aalto Museum in Jyväskylä.

At 13:00 a public tour of the Aalto House (Riihitie 20, Helsinki) will be started off by Alvar Aalto Foundation Chief Curator Mia Hipeli, who will talk about Aino Aalto’s life and design work. These can be seen, for instance, in the practical interior design solutions and furnishings in the architect family’s own home, not forgetting the beautiful surrounding garden. A maximum of 20 people can go on the public tour. Tickets for the tour can be bought online in advance from: shop.alvaraalto.fi

At 17:00 at the Alvar Aalto Museum (Alvar Aallon katu 7, Jyväskylä) Aino Aalto and her production will be introduced by the Alvar Aalto Museum’s Chief Curator Katariina Pakoma, who will guide visitors into Aino’s works and design principles in the Museum’s permanent exhibition. The tour will be in Finnish. It will start with a kaleidoscope of images of Aino Aalto’s life and key works. To commemorate the anniversary Café Alvar will be baking cakes and pastries inspired by Aino Aalto’s recipe notebook.

During the day, books on Aino Aalto and the design products that she created will be on sale at 20% discount in the Alvar Aalto Foundation’s own museum shops in Jyväskylä and Helsinki.

More information:
Alvar Aalto Museum
Chief Curator Katariina Pakoma
Tel. +358 400 849 315
katariina.pakoma@alvaraalto.fi