Ceiling lamp, model A203, designed by Alvar Aalto for Valaistustyö
Finland, 1940s

Lacquered metal and brass.

Stamped.

This exact model is quite rare and was designed and produced by Alvar Aalto for Stora Enso's head office in Helsinki, 1962. Aalto designed the entire building, using materials such as marble, granite, copper, and brass. The soft oval and cylindrical forms of the piece were designed perhaps to counterbalance the geometric nature of the building itself, located in a prominent place in the Southern Harbour.

Alvar Aalto was a Finnish architect and designer. His work includes architecture, furniture, lighting, and glassware, as well as sculptures and paintings. He never regarded himself as an artist, seeing painting and sculpture as "branches of the tree whose trunk is architecture." The pure Functionalist phase in Aalto’s work lasted for several years. It enabled him to make an international breakthrough, largely because of Paimio Sanatorium (1929-1933), an important Functionalist milestone. Aalto had adopted the principals of user-friendly, functional design in his architecture, and it was characteristic of Aalto to treat each building as a complete work of art – right down to the furniture and light fittings. The design of his furniture combined practicality and aesthetics with series production, encouraging a more beautiful everyday life in the home.

H: 123 cm / 4' 1/4''
Height of pendant: 20 cm / 8''
W: 68.5 cm / 2' 3"
D: 29 cm / 11 1/4"

* SOLD *

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