Alvar Aalto and Aino Marsio-Aalto at the Bard, New York

The Bard Graduate Center Gallery in New York is shining a well-deserved spotlight on the shared design practice of Alvar Aalto and Aino Marsio-Aalto. Pictured: Artek furniture in the Finnish pavilion at the Paris World’s Fair, 1937.

(Image credit: Henry Sarian)

Artek has long been a household name in the world of design, known best for their stacking bentwood stools – an emblem of modern creativity. Turns out, there’s more than meets the eye to the Finnish design company, the work of which spans art, architecture, interiors and beyond.

Opening today, the Bard Graduate Center Gallery is hosting an exhibition aiming to shed some light on the broad range of work done by the studio, as well as the shared practice of working pair Alvar Aalto and Aino Marsio-Aalto. The exhibition, titled 'Artek and the Aaltos: Creating a Modern World', is curated by gallery director Nina Stritzler-Levine, and writer, architect and professor Juhani Pallasmaa.

The result of a two-year-long research project spearheaded by Stritzler-Levine, the show offers an intimate glimpse into the two architects’ dual practices, curating over 200 works from the Artek and Alvar Aalto archives in Jyväskylä, Finland, as well as the Aalto family archives. Pieces range from architectural drawings to paintings, glassware to textiles – many never before placed on public view.

Looking beyond the bentwood furniture for which the firm is predominantly known, the show examines the studio’s vast array of under-recognised and diverse work. It marks the first exhibition in the United States to survey Artek, as well as to focus on the Aaltos themselves. Particularly, it affords a long overdue recognition of Marsio-Aalto’s primary role at the firm, bringing many of her hitherto unknown contributions to the fore.

Aino Marsio&#8208;Aalto and Alvar Aalto in the Artek&#8208;Pascoe showroom, New York, 1940 — Titled ’Artek and the Aaltos: Creating a Modern World’, the exhibition is curated by gallery director Nina Stritzler-Levine and Juhani Pallasmaa, a writer, architect and professor. Pictured: Aino Marsio‐Aalto and Alvar Aalto in the Artek‐Pascoe showroom, New York, 1940

The show offers an intimate glimpse into the two architects’ shared practice. Pictured: Artek store on Fabianinkatu, Helsinki, 1939.

Bentwood furniture and Armchair. — Pieces range from architectural drawings to paintings, glassware to textiles, going beyond the bentwood furniture for which the firm is predominantly known. Pictured left: ’Armchair’ (model 41) for tuberculosis sanatorium, Paimio, Finland, 1931–32. Right: ’Stacking Stools’ (model 60), 1932–33

Artek furniture in the Finnish pavilion at the New York World&rsquo;s Fair, 1939 — The show examines the studio’s vast array of under-recognised and diverse work – much of which has never been seen before. Pictured: Artek furniture in the Finnish pavilion at the New York World’s Fair, 1939

Interior sketch of the Savoy Restaurant, Helsinki, 1937 — It marks the first exhibition in the United States to survey Artek, as well as focus on the Aaltos themselves. Pictured: an interior sketch of the Savoy Restaurant, Helsinki, 1937

INFORMATION

’Artek and the Aaltos: Creating a Modern World’ is on view until 25 September. For more details, please visit the Bard Graduate Center Gallery’s website

ADDRESS

Bard Graduate Center
18 West 86th Street
New York, NY 10024

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