The other Aalto

A lot has been said about the Finnish architect Alvar Aalto. We do not know so much about his first wife Aino.
She has been presented as muse of Aalto, but recent studies show that she had a more important role than that.

Aino joined Alvar’s study soon after she graduated as an Architect. Most of the works are signed as “the architects”, so it is not clear the authorship of those works. More pragmatic and less bohemian than Alvar, Aino made sure to meet the deadlines. All together, the professional collaboration between the couple was very intense in the first years.

In the first half of the 20th century it was common that, because the lack of a specialized professional role, architects were the ones in charge of doing the interior and furniture design of their buildings. This was part of Aino’s responsibilities.
Her work as a designer is characterized with the phrase “beauty is the harmony of function and form”. Functionality, simplicity and clarity are applied in her designs, still of daily use in many Finnish homes.

As a modernist, she believed in objects which were light, cheap and accesible to all the social classes. In this task, it was specially important the firm Artek, which Aino co-founded and managed for many years.
Aino Aalto provides a model of “non star” designer whose work still makes people’s life easier.

Portrait of Aino Aalto

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Published:
20.02.07 / 11pm
Category:
uncategorized, people