Pair of Teak Aalto Model 60 Stools, Oy Huonekalu- ja Rakennustyötehdas Ab, 1940s

Alvar Aalto (1898-1976) is probably the most famous Finnish architect and designer in the world. Aalto graduated as an architect from Helsinki University of Technology in 1921. One of his most famous works is the Paimio Sanatorium, a hospital designed for the treatment of tuberculosis patients. Aalto designed the Paimio Sanatorium in its entirety, including furniture and lighting, and this project was also the beginning of his career as a furniture designer. Other famous works by Aalto include the Vyborg Library, Villa Mairea, La Maison Carré and the Finnish pavilions at the Paris (1937) and New York (1939) World’s Fairs.
In 1935, Alvar Aalto founded Artek, a well-known Finnish furniture and lighting company, with Aino Aalto, Maire Gullichsen and Nils-Gustav Hahl. The company was set up to sell furniture designed by Alvar Aalto, but also to ‘promote modern living through exhibitions and other means’.