Dutch
Deutsch
Dutch
Deutsch (Österreich)
Français
English
Alvar Aalto
In Kuortane, a municipality in southwestern Finland, Alvar Aalto was born on Feb. 3, 1898. At the age of 18, he moved to a city no less than 346 kilometers away: Helsinki. Here he began his studies in architecture, which he completed in 1921.
That Aalto was very talented was evidenced by his success; two years after he graduated, he founded his own company in Jyväskylä. The architect Aino Marsio was hired by Aalto to come work for him, and the spark struck between the two. A year later, in 1924, Alvar and Aino married each other. They took a beautiful honeymoon to Italy through the Mediterranean. This is where Aalto got a lot of inspiration from, so it has always influenced his designs.
A red line through Aalto's work is functionalism. Examples include spaces that flow into each other and curved walls. Well-known works by Aalto include the Finlandia Hall and the campus of the former Technical University, both in Helsinki. Since 2010, this university has been called Aalto University. In collaboration with the Finnish brandIittala Aalto designed the world-famous Aalto vase. In 1937, it was first shown to the public at the World's Fair in Paris. Today, the Iittala Alvar Aalto vases still mouth-blown.