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{{Short description|Finnish architect and designer (1898–1976)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2021}}
{{Infobox architect
| name = Alvar Aalto
| image = File:Alvar Aalto1.jpg
| caption = Aalto in 1960
| birth_name = Hugo Alvar Henrik Aalto
| birth_date = {{Birth date|df=yes|1898|2|3}}
| birth_place = [[Kuortane]], Finland
| death_date = {{Death date and age|df=yes|1976|5|11|1898|2|3}}
| death_place = [[Helsinki]], Finland
| parents = 
| spouse = {{plainlist|
* {{marriage|[[Aino Aalto|Aino Marsio]]|1925|1949|end=died}}
* {{marriage|[[Elissa Aalto|Elissa Mäkiniemi]]|1952}}
}}
| children = 2
| practice = 
| significant_buildings = [[Paimio Sanatorium]]<br />[[Säynätsalo Town Hall]]<br />[[Vyborg Library|Viipuri Library]]<br />[[Villa Mairea]]<br />[[List of MIT undergraduate dormitories#Baker House|Baker House]]<br />[[Finlandia Hall]]
| significant_projects = Helsinki City Centre
| significant_design = [[Aalto Vase|Savoy Vase]]<br />[[Artek (company)#Paimio Chair|Paimio Chair]]
| awards = [[Prince Eugen Medal]] {{small|(1954)}}<br />[[Royal Gold Medal|RIBA Gold Medal]] {{small|(1957)}}<br />[[American Institute of Architects|AIA Gold Medal]] {{small|(1963)}}
| alma_mater = [[Helsinki University of Technology]]
| signature = Aaltofirma.jpg
}}

'''Hugo Alvar Henrik Aalto''' ({{IPA|fi|ˈhuːɡo ˈɑlʋɑr ˈhenrik ˈɑːlto|lang}}; 3 February 1898 – 11 May 1976) was a Finnish [[architect]] and designer.<ref name=Chilvers>{{harvnb|Chilvers|2004|p=1}}</ref> His work includes architecture, furniture, [[textiles]] 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."<ref name=Enckell>{{harvnb|Enckell|1998|p=32}}</ref> Aalto's early career ran in parallel with the rapid economic growth and industrialization of Finland during the first half of the 20th century. Many of his clients were industrialists, among them the [[Ahlström-Gullichsen family]], who became his patrons.<ref name="Ahlström">{{harvnb|Anon|2013}}</ref> The span of his career, from the 1920s to the 1970s, is reflected in the styles of his work, ranging from [[Nordic Classicism]] of the early work, to a rational [[International Style (architecture)|International Style]] Modernism during the 1930s to a more organic modernist style from the 1940s onwards.

His architectural work, throughout his entire career, is characterized by a concern for design as [[Gesamtkunstwerk]]—a ''total work of art'' in which he, together with his first wife [[Aino Aalto]], would design not only the building but the interior surfaces, furniture, lamps, and glassware as well. His furniture designs are considered [[Scandinavian design|Scandinavian Modern]], an aesthetic reflected in their elegant simplification and concern for materials, especially wood, but also in Aalto's technical innovations, which led him to receiving patents for various manufacturing processes, such as those used to produce bent wood.<ref name=Boy>{{harvnb|Boyce|1985|p=1}}</ref> As a designer he is celebrated as a forerunner of [[Mid-century modern|midcentury modernism]] in design; his invention of bent plywood furniture<ref>{{Cite book|last=Norwich|first=John Julius|title=Oxford Illustrated Encyclopedia of the Arts|publisher=Oxford University Press|year=1990|isbn=978-0-19-869137-2|location=US|pages=1}}</ref> had a profound impact on the aesthetics of [[Charles and Ray Eames]] and [[George Nelson (designer)|George Nelson]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=Alvar Aalto|url=https://www.dwr.com/designer-alvar-aalto?lang=en_US|website=www.dwr.com}}</ref> The [[Alvar Aalto Museum]], designed by Aalto himself, is located in what is regarded as his home city, [[Jyväskylä]].<ref>{{harvnb|Alvar Aalto Museum|2011}}</ref>

The entry for him on the [[Museum of Modern Art]] website notes his "remarkable synthesis of romantic and pragmatic ideas," adding

<blockquote>His work reflects a deep desire to humanize architecture through an unorthodox handling of form and materials that was both rational and intuitive. Influenced by the so-called International Style modernism (or functionalism, as it was called in Finland) and his acquaintance with leading modernists in Europe, including Swedish architect [[Erik Gunnar Asplund]] and many of the artists and architects associated with the [[Bauhaus]], Aalto created designs that had a profound impact on the trajectory of modernism before and after World War II.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Alvar Aalto|url=https://www.moma.org/artists/34|website=www.moma.org}}</ref></blockquote>

==Biography==
===Life===
[[File:VIPlibrary.jpg|thumb|Auditorium of the [[Vyborg Library|Viipuri Municipal Library]] in the 1930s]]
[[File:Aalto studio.JPG|thumb|right|Alvar Aalto Studio, Helsinki (1954–56)]]
[[File:Studio Aalto.jpg|thumb|right|Alvar Aalto Studio, Helsinki (1954–55)]]
[[File:University of Jyväskylä main Building.jpg|thumb|right|Main Building of the [[Jyväskylä]] University (1955)]]
[[File:Heilig Geist Kirche Wolfsburg Alvar Aalto 1958 62 photo by Christian Gänshirt.JPG|thumb|[[Church of the Holy Spirit, Wolfsburg]] (1958–62)<ref name="heilig">[http://www.kirche-wolfsburg.de/gemeinde/gemeindedetails.php?ID=21 Heilig-Geist-Kirchengemeinde bei kirche-wolfsburg.de], retrieved 27 February 2018.</ref>]]

Hugo Alvar Henrik Aalto was born in [[Kuortane]], Finland.<ref>{{harvnb|Thorne|1984|p=1}}</ref> His father, Johan Henrik Aalto, was a Finnish-speaking land-surveyor and his mother, Selma Matilda "Selly" (née Hackstedt) was a Swedish-speaking postmistress. When Aalto was 5 years old, the family moved to [[Alajärvi]],<ref name="seura">{{cite web|url=https://seura.fi/asiat/ajankohtaista/tiedatko-milta-nayttaa-alvar-aallon-ensimmainen-rakennus/|title=Tiedätkö miltä näyttää Alvar Aallon ensimmäinen rakennus? Alajärven pikkukaupunki on täynnä Aallon arkkitehtuuria|first=Jukka|last=Vuorio|work=[[Seura]]|date=23 August 2024|access-date=30 August 2024|language=fi}}</ref> and from there to [[Jyväskylä]] in [[Central Finland]].<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|title=Alvar Aalto|url=http://www.architecture-history.org/architects/architects/aalto/bio.html|access-date=14 February 2021|website=www.architecture-history.org}}</ref>

He studied at the Jyväskylä Lyceum school, where he completed his basic education in 1916, and took drawing lessons from local artist [[Jonas Heiska]]. In 1916, he then enrolled to study architecture at the [[Helsinki University of Technology]]. His studies were interrupted by the [[Finnish Civil War]], in which he fought. He fought on the side of the ''[[White Guard (Finland)|White Army]]'' and fought at the [[Battle of Länkipohja]] and the [[Battle of Tampere]].<ref name=Pelkonen>{{harvnb|Pelkonen|2009|p=201}}</ref>

He built his first piece of architecture while a student; a house for his parents at [[Alajärvi]].<ref name=Labo1>{{harvnb|Labò|1968|p=1}}</ref><ref name="seura"/> Later, he continued his education, graduating in 1921. In the summer of 1922 he began military service, finishing at Hamina reserve officer training school, and was promoted to reserve second lieutenant in June 1923.<ref name="Heporauta 1999 10">{{harvnb|Heporauta|1999|p=10}}</ref>

In 1920, while a student, Aalto made his first trip abroad, travelling via Stockholm to [[Gothenburg]], where he briefly found work with architect Arvid Bjerke.<ref>{{harvnb|Weston|1997|p=20}}</ref> In 1922, he accomplished his first independent piece at the Industrial Exposition in [[Tampere]].<ref name=Labo1/> In 1923, he returned to [[Jyväskylä]], where he opened an architectural office under the name 'Alvar Aalto, Architect and Monumental Artist'. At that time he wrote articles for the Jyväskylä newspaper ''Sisä-Suomi'' under the pseudonym Remus.<ref name="Heporauta 1999 10"/> During this time, he designed a number of small single-family houses in Jyväskylä, and the office's workload steadily increased.<ref name=":1" />

On 6 October 1924, Aalto married architect [[Aino Aalto|Aino Marsio]]. Their honeymoon in Italy was Aalto's first trip there, though Aino had previously made a study trip there.<ref name=SK>{{harvnb|Suominen-Kokkonen|2007|p=18}}</ref> The latter trip together sealed an intellectual bond with the culture of the [[Mediterranean Basin|Mediterranean]] region that remained important to Aalto for life.

On their return they continued with several local projects, notably the Jyväskylä Worker's Club, which incorporated a number of motifs which they had studied during their trip, most notably the decorations of the Festival hall modelled on the [[Rucellai Sepulchre]] in Florence by [[Leon Battista Alberti]]. After winning the architecture competition for the Southwest Finland Agricultural Cooperative building in 1927, the Aaltos moved their office to [[Turku]]. They had made contact with the city's most progressive architect, [[Erik Bryggman]] before moving. They began collaborating with him, most notably on the Turku Fair of 1928–29. Aalto's biographer, Göran Schildt, claimed that Bryggman was the only architect with whom Aalto cooperated as an equal.<ref>{{harvnb|Schildt|1994|p=54}}</ref> With an increasing quantity of work in the Finnish capital, the Aaltos' office moved again in 1933 to Helsinki.<ref>{{harvnb|Heporauta|1999|p=24}}</ref>

The Aaltos designed and built a [[Villa Aalto|joint house-office]] (1935–36) for themselves in [[Munkkiniemi]], Helsinki, but later (1954–56) had a [[Studio Aalto|purpose-built office]] erected in the same neighbourhood – now the former is a "home museum" and the latter the premises of the Alvar Aalto Academy. In 1926, the young Aaltos designed and had built for themselves a summer cottage in [[Alajärvi]], Villa Flora.<ref name=":1" /><ref name="seura"/>

Aino and Alvar had two children, a daughter, Johanna "Hanni" (married surname Alanen; born 1925), and a son, Hamilkar Aalto (born 1928). Aino Aalto died of cancer in 1949.

In 1952, Aalto married architect [[Elissa Mäkiniemi]] (died 1994). In 1952, he designed and built a summer cottage, the [[Alvar Aalto Museum#The Muuratsalo Experiental House|so-called Experimental House]], for himself and his second wife, now [[Elissa Aalto]], in [[Muuratsalo]] in Central Finland.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Guimaraes |first1=M. |title=A precedent in sustainable architecture: Alvar Aalto's summer house |journal=Journal of Green Building |date=2012 |volume=7 |issue=2 |pages=64–73|doi=10.3992/jgb.7.2.64 |doi-access=free }}</ref> Alvar Aalto died on 11 May 1976, in [[Helsinki]], and is buried in the [[Hietaniemi cemetery]] in Helsinki. [[Elissa Aalto]] became the director of the practice, running the office from 1976 to 1994. In 1978, the [[Museum of Finnish Architecture]] in Helsinki arranged a major exhibition of Aalto's works.

==Architecture career==

===Early career: classicism===

Although he is sometimes regarded as among the first and most influential architects of Nordic [[modernism]], closer examination reveals that Aalto (while a pioneer in Finland) closely followed and had personal contacts with other pioneers in Sweden, in particular [[Gunnar Asplund]]<ref>{{harvnb|Paavilainen|1982|p=23}}</ref><ref>{{harvnb|Aalto|1998|p=29}}</ref> and [[Sven Markelius]].<ref>{{harvnb|Aalto|1998|p=76}}</ref> What they and many others of that generation in the Nordic countries shared was a classical education and an approach to classical architecture that historians now call [[Nordic Classicism]].<ref>{{harvnb|Paavilainen|1982|pp=11–15}}</ref> It was a style that had been a reaction to the previous dominant style of [[National romantic style|National Romanticism]] before moving, in the late 1920s, towards Modernism.<ref>{{Citation|last=Wilson|first=Colin St J. WilsonSir Colin St J.|title=Aalto, Hugo Alvar Henrik|date=2009-01-01|url=https://www.oxfordreference.com/view/10.1093/acref/9780198605683.001.0001/acref-9780198605683-e-0001|work=The Oxford Companion to Architecture|publisher=Oxford University Press|language=en|doi=10.1093/acref/9780198605683.001.0001|isbn=978-0-19-860568-3|access-date=2021-07-06|url-access=subscription}}</ref>

Upon returning to Jyväskylä in 1923 to establish his own architect's office, Aalto designed several single-family homes designed in the style of Nordic Classicism. For example, the manor-like house for his mother's cousin Terho Manner in Töysa (1923), a summer villa for the Jyväskylä chief constable (also from 1923) and the Alatalo farmhouse in Tarvaala (1924). During this period he completed his first public buildings, the Jyväskylä Workers' Club in 1925, the [[Jyväskylä Defence Corps Building]] in 1926 and the [[Seinäjoki Civil Guard House]] building in 1924–29.{{citation needed|date=February 2018}} He entered several architectural competitions for prestigious state public buildings, in Finland and abroad. This included two competitions for the Finnish Parliament building in 1923 and 1924, the extension to the [[University of Helsinki]] in 1931, and the building to house the [[League of Nations]] in Geneva, Switzerland, in 1926–27. {{citation needed|date=February 2018}}

Aalto's first church design to be completed, [[Muurame church]], illustrates his transition from Nordic Classicism to Functionalism.<ref>{{cite news |title=Alvar Aallon nuoruudensynti remontoidaan alkuperäiseen loistoonsa |trans-title=Alvar Aalto's 'aberration of youth' to be restored to its original glory |url=https://yle.fi/uutiset/3-7898439 |access-date=9 September 2020 |publisher=Yle |date=31 March 2015 |language=fi}}</ref>

This was the period when Aalto was most prolific in his writings, with articles for professional journals and newspapers. Among his most well-known essays from this period are "Urban culture" (1924),<ref>{{harvnb|Aalto|1998|pp=19–20}}</ref> "Temple baths on Jyväskylä ridge" (1925),<ref>{{harvnb|Aalto|1998|pp=17–19}}</ref> "Abbé Coignard's sermon" (1925),<ref>{{harvnb|Aalto|1998|pp=56–57}}</ref> and "From doorstep to living room" (1926).<ref>{{harvnb|Aalto|1998|pp=49–55}}</ref>

[[Image:4Y1A7841 Alvar Aalto, Finland (26710745140).jpg|thumb|[[Villa Mairea]] in [[Noormarkku]]]]
[[Image:Baker House, MIT, Cambridge, Massachusetts.JPG|thumb|Facade of [[List of MIT undergraduate dormitories#Baker House|Baker House]] on the [[Charles River]]]]
[[Image:Helsinki University of Technology auditorium.jpg|thumb|The main auditorium of the [[Helsinki University of Technology]] (now [[Aalto University]]) in [[Otaniemi]], Finland (1949–66)]]
[[Image:Aalto cultural house.JPG|thumb|House of Culture, Helsinki]]
[[File:Library Wolfsburg Alvar Aalto photo by Christian Gänshirt.jpg|thumb|Cultural Center [[Wolfsburg]] (1958–62)<ref>[http://aalto-wolfsburg.com/content.php?id=kulturhaus Das Alvar-Aalto-Kulturhaus auf der Website des Alvar Aalto Zentrums Deutschland e.V. Wolfsburg], retrieved 25 January 2015</ref>]]
[[Image:Finlandia A-Wiki.jpg|thumb|[[Finlandia Hall]] (1962–71)]]
[[Image:Aalto-Theater 02.jpg|thumb|The [[Aalto Theatre|Aalto-Theater]] opera house in [[Essen]], Germany]]

===Early career: functionalism===
The shift in Aalto's design approach from classicism to modernism is epitomised by the [[Vyborg Library|Viipuri Library]] in [[Vyborg]] (1927–35), which went through a transformation from an originally classical competition entry proposal to the completed high-modernist building. His humanistic approach is in full evidence in the library: the interior displays natural materials, warm colours, and undulating lines. Due to problems related to financing, compounded by a change of site, the Viipuri Library project lasted eight years. During that time, Aalto designed the Standard Apartment Building (1928–29) in Turku, the Turun Sanomat Building (1929–30), and the Paimio Sanatorium (1929–32), which he designed in collaboration with his first wife [[Aino Aalto]]. A number of factors contributed to Aalto's shift towards modernism: his increased familiarity with international trends, facilitated by his travels throughout Europe; the opportunity to experiment with concrete prefabrication in the Standard Apartment Building; the cutting-edge [[Le Corbusier]]-inspired formal language of the Turun Sanomat Building; and Aalto's application of both in the [[Paimio Sanatorium]] and in the ongoing design for the library. Although the Turun Sanomat Building and Paimio Sanatorium are comparatively pure modernist works, they carried the seeds of his questioning of such an orthodox modernist approach and a move to a more daring, synthetic attitude. It has been pointed out that the planning principle for Paimio Sanatorium – the splayed wings – was indebted to the Zonnestraal Sanatorium (1925–31) by Jan Duiker, which Aalto visited while it was under construction.<ref>{{harvnb|Hipeli|2014|p=116}}</ref> While these early Functionalist bear hallmarks of influences from [[Le Corbusier]], [[Walter Gropius]], and other key modernist figures of central Europe, Aalto nevertheless started to show his individuality in a departure from such norms with the introduction of organic references.

Through Sven Markelius, Aalto became a member of the [[Congres Internationaux d'Architecture Moderne]] (CIAM), attending the second congress in Frankfurt in 1929 and the fourth congress in Athens in 1933, where he established a close friendship with [[László Moholy-Nagy]], [[Sigfried Giedion]], and [[Philip Morton Shand]]. It was during this time that he closely followed the work of the main force driving the new modernism, [[Le Corbusier]], visiting him in his Paris office several times in the following years.

It was not until the completion of the Paimio Sanatorium (1932) and Viipuri Library (1935) that Aalto first achieved world attention in architecture. His reputation grew in the US following the invitation to hold a retrospective exhibition of his works at MOMA in New York in 1938. (This was his first visit to the States.) The exhibition, which later went on a 12-city tour of the country, was a landmark: Aalto was the second-ever architect – after Le Corbusier – to have a solo exhibition at the museum. His reputation grew in the US following the critical reception of his design for the Finnish Pavilion at the [[1939 New York World's Fair]], described by [[Frank Lloyd Wright]] as a "work of genius".<ref>{{harvnb|McCarter|2006|p=143}}</ref> It could be said that Aalto's international reputation was sealed with his inclusion in the second edition of Sigfried Giedion's influential book on Modernist architecture, ''Space, Time, and Architecture: The growth of a new tradition'' (1949), in which Aalto received more attention than any other Modernist architect, including [[Le Corbusier]]. In his analysis of Aalto, Giedion gave primacy to qualities that depart from direct functionality, such as mood, atmosphere, intensity of life, and even national characteristics, declaring that "Finland is with Aalto wherever he goes."

===Mid career: experimentation===
During the 1930s Alvar spent some time experimenting with laminated wood, sculpture and abstract relief, characterized by irregular curved forms. Utilizing this knowledge, he was able to solve technical problems concerning the flexibility of wood while at the same time working out spatial issues in his designs.<ref name=Pelkonen/> Aalto's early experiments with wood and his move away from a purist modernism would be tested in built form with the commission to design [[Villa Mairea]] (1939) in [[Noormarkku]], the luxury home of young industrialist couple Harry and [[Maire Gullichsen]]. It was Maire Gullichsen who acted as the main client, and she worked closely not only with Alvar but also with Aino Aalto on the design, encouraging them to be more daring in their work. The building forms a U-shape around a central inner 'garden' whose central feature is a kidney-shaped swimming pool. Adjacent to the pool is a sauna executed in a rustic style, alluding to both Finnish and Japanese precedents. The design of the house is a synthesis of numerous stylistic influences, from traditional Finnish vernacular to purist modernism, as well as influences from English and Japanese architecture. While the house is clearly intended for a wealthy family, Aalto nevertheless argued that it was also an experiment that would prove useful in the design of mass housing.<ref>{{harvnb|Pallasmaa|1998|p=31}}</ref>

His increased fame led to offers and commissions outside Finland. In 1941, he accepted an invitation as a visiting professor to the [[Massachusetts Institute of Technology]] in the US. During the [[Second World War]], he returned to Finland to direct the Reconstruction Office. After the war, he returned to MIT, where he designed the student dormitory [[List of MIT undergraduate dormitories#Baker House|Baker House]], completed in 1949.{{sfn|Vitra Design Museum}} The dormitory flanked the [[Charles River]], and its undulating form provided maximum view and ventilation for each resident.<ref name="Anderson 2012">{{harvnb|Anderson|2013}}</ref> This was the first building of Aalto's redbrick period. Originally used in Baker House to signify the Ivy League university tradition, Aalto went on to use it in a number of key buildings after his return to Finland, most notably in several of the buildings in the new [[Helsinki University of Technology]] campus (starting in 1950), [[Säynätsalo Town Hall]] (1952), Helsinki Pensions Institute (1954), [[Kulttuuritalo|Helsinki House of Culture]] (1958), as well as in his own summer house, the [[Alvar Aalto Museum#The Muuratsalo Experimental House|Experimental House in Muuratsalo]] (1957).<ref>{{cite web |last1=McCormick |first1=Megan |title=Architects' summer retreats |url=https://architecturetoday.co.uk/architects-summer-retreats/ |website=Architecture Today |date=22 August 2023 |access-date=8 September 2023}}</ref>

In the 1950s Aalto immersed himself in sculpting, exploring wood, bronze, marble, and mixed media. Among the notable works from this period is his 1960 memorial to the [[Battle of Suomussalmi]].  Located on the battlefield, it consists of a leaning bronze pillar on a pedestal.<ref name=Pelkonen/>

===Mature career: monumentalism===
[[File:Jyväskylän Kaupunginteatteri Aalto-laatta.jpg|thumb|200px|Alvar Aalto's signature on the wall of the [[Jyväskylä]] theatre]]
Foremost among Aalto's work from the early 1960s until his death in 1976 were his projects in Helsinki, in particular the huge town plan for the void in the centre of Helsinki adjacent to [[Töölö]] Bay and the vast [[VR warehouses|railway yards]], an area marked on the edges by significant buildings such as the National Museum and the main railway station, both by [[Eliel Saarinen]]. In his town plan, Aalto proposed a line of separate marble-clad buildings fronting the bay, which would house various cultural institutions, including a concert hall, opera, museum of architecture, and headquarters for the [[Finnish Academy]]. The scheme also extended into the [[Kamppi]] district with a series of tall office blocks. Aalto first presented his vision in 1961, but it went through various modifications during the early '60s. Only two fragments of the overall plan were realized: the [[Finlandia Hall]] concert hall (1976) fronting on Töölö Bay and an office building in the Kamppi district for the Helsinki Electricity Company (1975). Aalto also employed the [[Ludwig Mies van der Rohe|Miesian]] formal language of geometric grids used in those buildings for other sites in Helsinki, including the [[Stora Enso headquarters|Enso-Gutzeit headquarters building]] (1962), the [[Academic Bookstore]] (1962), and the SYP Bank building (1969).

Following Aalto's death in 1976, his office continued to operate under the direction of his widow Elissa, who oversaw the completion of works already designed (to some extent), among them the Jyväskylä City Theatre and [[Aalto Theatre|Essen opera house]]. Since the death of Elissa Aalto, the office has continued to operate as the Alvar Aalto Academy, giving advice on the restoration of Aalto buildings and organizing the practice's vast archives.

==Furniture career==
[[File:Wolfsonian-FIU Museum - IMG 8234.JPG|thumb|Paimio chair]] 
[[File:Aalto_kruk.jpg|thumb|Model 60 stacking stools]]
Although Aalto was famous for his architecture, his furniture designs were admired and are still popular today. He studied with the architect-designer [[Josef Hoffmann]] at the [[Wiener Werkstätte]](engl.: "Vienna Workshop") and worked, for a time, under [[Eliel Saarinen]].<ref name=Boy/> He also drew inspiration from [[Gebrüder Thonet]].<ref name=Boy/> During the late 1920s and 1930s, he worked closely with Aino Aalto on his furniture designs, a focus due in part to his decision to design many of the individual furniture pieces and lamps for the Paimio Sanatorium. Of particular significance was the Aaltos' experimentation in bent plywood chairs, most notably the so-called Paimio chair, designed for tuberculosis patients, and the [[Model 60 stacking stool]]. The Aaltos, together with visual arts promoter Maire Gullichsen and art historian Nils-Gustav Hahl, founded the [[Artek (company)|Artek]] company in 1935, ostensibly to sell Aalto products but which also imported pieces by other designers.<ref>{{harvnb|Pallasmaa|1998|p=19}}</ref> Aalto became the first furniture designer to use the cantilever principle in chair designs using wood.<ref name=Boy/>

==Awards==
Aalto's awards included [[Honorary Royal Designer for Industry]] from the [[Royal Society of Arts]] in 1947, the [[Prince Eugen Medal]] in 1954, the Royal Gold Medal for Architecture from the [[Royal Institute of British Architects]] in 1957 and the [[AIA Gold Medal|Gold Medal]] from the [[American Institute of Architects]] in 1963.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Past Royal Designers for Industry |url=https://www.thersa.org/about/royal-designers-for-industry/past-royal-designers-for-industry/ |access-date=2025-03-19 |website=The RSA |language=en-GB}}</ref> He was elected a Foreign Honorary Member of the [[American Academy of Arts and Sciences]] in 1957.<ref name=AAAS>{{harvnb|Tourney|2013}}</ref> He also was a member of the [[Academy of Finland]], and was its president from 1963 to 1968. From 1925 to 1956 he was a member of the [[Congrès International d'Architecture Moderne]]. In 1960 he received an honorary doctorate at the [[Norwegian University of Science and Technology]] (NTNU).<ref>{{harvnb|Anon|2014}}</ref> 

==Works==
Aalto's career spans the changes in style from ([[Nordic Classicism]]) to purist [[International style (architecture)|International Style]] Modernism to a more personal, synthetic, and idiosyncratic Modernism. Aalto's wide field of design activity ranges from  large-scale projects such as [[city planning]] and architecture to more intimate, human-scale work in interior design, furniture and [[glassware]] design, and painting. It has been estimated that during his entire career Aalto designed over 500 individual buildings, approximately 300 of which were built. The vast majority of them are in Finland. He also has a few buildings in France, Germany, Italy, and the US.<ref name = GS>{{harvnb|Schildt|1994|pp=310–313}}</ref>

Aalto's work with wood was influenced by early Scandinavian architects. His experiments and bold departures from aesthetic norms brought attention to his ability to make wood do things not previously done. His techniques in the way he cut [[beech]] wood, for example, and  his ability to use plywood as a structural element while at the same time exploiting its aesthetic properties, were at once technically innovative and artistically inspired. Other examples of his boundary-pushing sensibility include the vertical placement of rough-hewn logs at his pavilion at the [[Lapua]] expo, a design element that evoked a medieval barricade. At the orchestra platform at [[Turku]] and the Paris expo at the World Fair, he used varying sizes and shapes of planks. Also at Paris (and at [[Villa Mairea]]), he utilized birch boards in a vertical arrangement. His [[Vyborg Library]], built in what was then Viipuri (it became [[Vyborg]] after Soviet annexation in 1944), is acclaimed for its stunning ceiling, with its undulating waves of red-hearted pine (which grows in the region ).<ref name=Labo2>{{harvnb|Labò|1968|p=2}}</ref> In his roofing, he created massive spans (155-foot at the covered stadium at [[Otaniemi]]), all without tie rods. In his stairway at Villa Mairea, he evokes the feeling of a natural forest by binding beech wood with withes into columns.<ref name=Labo3>{{harvnb|Labò|1968|p=3}}</ref>

Aalto claimed that his paintings were not made as individual artworks but as part of his process of architectural design, and many of his small-scale "sculptural" experiments with wood led to later larger architectural details and forms. These experiments also led to a number of patents: for example, he invented a new form of laminated bent-plywood furniture in 1932 (which was patented in 1933).<ref name=Chilvers/> His experimental method had been influenced by his meetings with various members of the [[Bauhaus]] design school, especially [[László Moholy-Nagy]], whom he first met in 1930. Aalto's furniture was exhibited in London in 1935, to great critical acclaim. To cope with the consumer demand, Aalto, together with his wife Aino, [[Maire Gullichsen]], and Nils-Gustav Hahl founded the company [[Artek (company)|Artek]] that same year. Aalto glassware (Aino as well as Alvar) is manufactured by [[Iittala]].

Aalto's 'High Stool' and '[[Model 60 stacking stool|Stool E60]]' (manufactured by [[Artek (company)|Artek]]) are currently used in [[Apple Store]]s across the world to serve as seating for customers. Finished in black lacquer, the stools are used to seat customers at the 'Genius Bar' and also in other areas of the store at times when seating is required for a product workshop or special event. Aalto was also influential in bringing [[modern art]] to the attention of the Finnish people, in particular the work of his friends [[Alexander Milne Calder]] and [[Fernand Léger]].<ref name=Pelkonen/>

===Significant buildings===
[[File:KUNSTEN Aalborg 2006.jpg|thumb|[[KUNSTEN Museum of Modern Art Aalborg]], Denmark (1958–72)]]
[[File:Paolo Monti - Servizio fotografico (Vergato, 1980) - BEIC 6353784.jpg|thumb|Church of Santa Maria Assunta, Riola of [[Vergato]], Italy, designed in 1966 and built 1975–1978. Photo by [[Paolo Monti]], 1980.]]

[[File:Aalto table and chairs1.JPG|thumbnail|Table and chairs designed by Alvar Aalto]]
[[File:Aalto Teewagen.jpg|thumb|Tea cart (tea trolley)]]
[[File:Alvar Alto - Tank Chair (Armchair 400).jpg|thumb|Armchair 400 with [[reindeer]] fur]]

{{main list |List of Alvar Aalto's works}}

* 1921–1923: Bell tower of Kauhajärvi Church, [[Lapua]], Finland<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|title=Alvar Aalto Architect {{!}} Biography, Buildings, Projects and Facts|url=https://www.famous-architects.org/alvar-aalto/|access-date=22 October 2020|website=Famous Architects|language=en-US}}</ref>
* 1924–1926: [[Seinäjoki Civil Guard House]], Seinäjoki, Finland
* 1924–1928: Municipal hospital, [[Alajärvi]], Finland
* 1926–1929: [[Jyväskylä Defence Corps Building|Defence Corps Building]], Jyväskylä, Finland
* 1927–1928: South-West Finland Agricultural Cooperative building, [[Turku]], Finland
* 1927–1935: [[Viipuri Library|Municipal library]], [[Viipuri]], Finland ([[Winter War|now]] Vyborg, Russia)<ref>{{harvnb|Kairamo|2009|pp=34–35}}</ref>
* 1928–1929, 1930: ''[[Turun Sanomat]]'' newspaper offices, Turku, Finland<ref>{{harvnb|Weston|1997|pp=47–48}}</ref>
* 1928–1933: [[Paimio Sanatorium]], Tuberculosis sanatorium and staff housing, [[Paimio]], Finland<ref>{{harvnb|Hipeli|2014|p=9}}</ref>
* 1931: Toppila paper mill in [[Oulu]], Finland
* 1931: Central University Hospital, [[Zagreb]], [[Croatia]] (former [[Kingdom of Yugoslavia|Yugoslavia]])
* 1932: [[Villa Tammekann]], [[Tartu]], Estonia<ref>{{Cite web|title=Villa Tammekann · Finnish Architecture Navigator|url=https://finnisharchitecture.fi/villa-tammekann/|access-date=22 October 2020|website=finnisharchitecture.fi|language=en-US}}</ref>
* 1934: Corso theatre, restaurant interior, [[Zürich]], Switzerland
* 1936–1939: [[Ahlstrom]] [[Sunila, Kotka|Sunila]] Pulp Mill, Housing, and Town Plan, [[Kotka]], Finland<ref>{{harvnb|Korvenmaa|2004}}</ref>
* 1937–1939: [[Villa Mairea]], [[Noormarkku]], Finland<ref>{{harvnb|Pallasmaa|1998}}</ref>
* 1939: Finnish Pavilion, at the [[1939 New York World's Fair]]
* 1945: Sawmill at [[Varkaus]], Finland
* 1947–1948: [[List of MIT undergraduate dormitories#Baker House|Baker House]], [[Massachusetts Institute of Technology]], [[Cambridge, Massachusetts]], U.S.<ref name="Anderson 2012"/>
* 1949–1966: [[Helsinki University of Technology]], Espoo, Finland
* 1949–1952: [[Säynätsalo Town Hall]], Säynätsalo (now part of [[Jyväskylä]]), Finland; 1949 competition, built 1952
* 1950–1957: [[Kansaneläkelaitos|National Pension Institution]] office building, [[Helsinki]], Finland
* 1951–1971: [[University of Jyväskylä]] various buildings and facilities on the university campus, Jyväskylä, Finland
* 1952–1958: [[The House of Culture (Helsinki)|House of Culture]], Helsinki, Finland<ref>{{harvnb|Holma|2015}}</ref>
* 1953: [[Alvar Aalto Museum#The Muuratsalo Experimental House|The Experimental House]], Muuratsalo, Finland
* 1953–1955: [[Rautatalo]] office building, Helsinki, Finland
* 1956–1958: Home<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.archdaily.com/356209/ad-classics-maison-louis-carre-alvar-aalto|title=AD Classics: Maison Louis Carré / Alvar Aalto|date=6 April 2013|website=ArchDaily}}</ref> for [[Louis Carré (art dealer)|Louis Carré]], [[Bazoches]], France<ref>{{harvnb|Laaksonen|2008}}</ref>
* 1956–1958: [[Church of the Three Crosses]], Vuoksenniska, [[Imatra]], Finland<ref>{{harvnb|Paatero|1993|pp=65–74}}</ref>
* 1957–1967: [[Aalto Centre, Seinäjoki|city center]] ([[Seinäjoki Library|library]], [[Seinäjoki City Theatre|theatre]], [[Seinäjoki City Hall|City Hall]], [[Lakeuden Risti Church]] and central administrative buildings), [[Seinäjoki]], Finland
* 1958: Post and telegraph office, [[Baghdad]], [[Iraq]]<ref>{{harvnb|Eisenbrand|2014|pp=361–382}}</ref>
* 1958–1972: [[KUNSTEN Museum of Modern Art Aalborg]], [[Aalborg]], Denmark<ref>{{Cite web|title=The Building|url=https://kunsten.dk/en/content/the-building-7386|access-date=22 October 2020|website=kunsten.dk|language=en}}</ref>
* 1959–1962: Community Centre, [[Wolfsburg]], Germany<ref>{{harvnb|Eisenbrand|2014|pp=339–359}}</ref>
* 1959–1962: [[Church of the Holy Spirit, Wolfsburg|Church of the Holy Ghost]] (Heilig-Geist-Gemeindezentrum), [[Wolfsburg]], Germany<ref>{{Cite web|title=Alvar Aalto's legacy lives strong in Wolfsburg, Germany {{!}} Design Stories|url=https://www.finnishdesignshop.com/design-stories/architecture/alvar-aalto-buildings-in-wolfsburg-germany|access-date=22 October 2020|website=Finnish Design Shop COM|date=31 January 2020 |language=en}}</ref>
* 1959–1962: [[Stora Enso headquarters|Enso-Gutzeit headquarters]], Helsinki, Finland<ref>{{Cite web|title=Alvar Aalto|url=http://www.architecture-history.org/architects/architects/aalto/time/1950.html|access-date=22 October 2020|website=www.architecture-history.org}}</ref>
* 1961–1975: [[Lappia Hall]] performing arts and conference venue, [[Rovaniemi]], Finland; part of the city's 'Aalto Centre'
* 1962: [[Aalto-Hochhaus]], [[Bremen]], Germany
* 1964–1965: [[Kaufmann Conference Center]] at the [[Institute of International Education]], New York City, U.S.<ref name="Anderson 2012"/>
* 1965: [[Rovaniemi library]], [[Rovaniemi]], Finland
* 1962–1971: [[Finlandia Hall]], Helsinki, Finland<ref>{{harvnb|Paatero|1993|pp=105–112}}</ref>
* 1963–1968: [[Stephanuskirche (Wolfsburg)|Church of St Stephen]] (Stephanus Kirche), Detmerode, Wolfsburg, Germany
* 1963–1965: Building for [[Västmanlands-Dala Nation, Uppsala|Västmanland-Dala nation]], [[Uppsala]], Sweden
* 1967–1970: Library at the [[Mount Angel Abbey]], St. Benedict, Salem, [[Oregon]], U.S.<ref name="Anderson 2012"/>
* 1965–1968: [[Nordic House (Iceland)|Nordic House]], [[Reykjavík]], Iceland
* 1966: [[Church of the Assumption of Mary, Riola di Vergato|Church of the Assumption of Mary]], Riola di [[Vergato]], Italy (built 1975–1978)
* 1973: [[Alvar Aalto Museum]], a.k.a. Taidemuseo, [[Jyväskylä]], Finland
* 1970–1973: [[Sähkötalo]], Helsinki, Finland
* 1978 (completed): [[Ristinkirkko, Lahti]], Finland
* 1959–1988: [[Aalto Theatre|Essen opera house]], [[Essen]], Germany<ref name=":0" />
* 1986: [[Rovaniemi city hall]], [[Rovaniemi]], Finland

===Furniture and glassware===
'''Chairs'''
* 1932: [[Paimio Chair]]
* 1933: [[Model 60 stacking stool]]
* 1933: Four-legged Stool E60
* 1935–36: Armchair 404 (a/k/a/ Zebra Tank Chair)
* 1939: Armchair 406

'''Lamps'''
* 1954: Floor lamp A805
* 1959: Floor lamp A810

'''Vases'''
* 1936: [[Aalto Vase]]

==Critique of Aalto's architecture==
As mentioned above, Aalto's international reputation was sealed with his inclusion in the second edition of [[Sigfried Giedion]]'s influential book on Modernist architecture, ''Space, Time and Architecture: The growth of a new tradition'' (1949), in which Aalto received more attention than any other Modernist architect, including [[Le Corbusier]]. In his analysis of Aalto, Giedion gave primacy to qualities that depart from direct functionality, such as mood, atmosphere, intensity of life and even national characteristics, declaring that "Finland is with Aalto wherever he goes."

More recently, however, some architecture critics and historians have questioned Aalto's influence on the historical canon. The Italian Marxist architecture historians [[Manfredo Tafuri]] and [[Francesco Dal Co]] contend that Aalto's "historical significance has perhaps been rather exaggerated; with Aalto we are outside of the great themes that have made the course of contemporary architecture so dramatic. The qualities of his works have a meaning only as masterful distractions, not subject to reproduction outside the remote reality [sic] in which they have their roots."<ref>{{harvnb|Tafuri|Co|1976|p=338}}</ref> At the heart of their critique was the perception of Aalto's work as unsuited to the urban context: "Essentially, his architecture is not appropriate to urban typologies."

At the other end of the political spectrum (though similarly concerned with the appropriateness of Aalto's formal language), the American cultural theorist and architectural historian [[Charles Jencks]] singled out his Pensions Institute as an example of what he termed the architect's "soft paternalism": "Conceived as a fragmented mass to break up the feeling of bureaucracy, it succeeds all too well in being humane and killing the pensioner with kindness. The forms are familiar – red brick and ribbon-strip windows broken by copper and bronze elements – all carried through with a literal-mindedness that borders on the soporific."<ref>{{harvnb|Jencks|1973|pp=80–81}}</ref>

During his lifetime, Aalto faced criticisms from his fellow architects in Finland, most notably Kirmo Mikkola and [[Juhani Pallasmaa]]. By the last decade of Aalto's life, his work was seen as unfashionably individualistic at a time when the opposing tendencies of rationalism and constructivism – often championed under left-wing politics – argued for anonymous, aggressively non-aesthetic architecture. Of Aalto's late works, Mikkola wrote, "Aalto has moved to [a] baroque line..."<ref>{{harvnb|Mikkola|1969|p=31}}</ref>

[[File:Alvar-Aalto-1976.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Alvar Aalto portrayed on a stamp published in 1976]]

==Memorials==
Aalto has been commemorated in a number of ways:
* Alvar Aalto is the [[eponym]] of the [[Alvar Aalto Medal]], an international [[List of architecture awards|architecture award]].
* Aalto was featured in the 50 mk note in the last series of the [[Finnish markka]] (before its replacement by the [[Euro]] in 2002).
* The centenary of Aalto's birth in 1998 was marked in Finland not only by several books and exhibitions, but also by the promotion of specially bottled red and white Aalto Wine and a specially designed [[cupcake]].
* In 1976, the year of his death, Aalto was commemorated on a Finnish postage stamp.
* Piazza Alvar Aalto, a square named after Aalto, can be found in the Porta Nuova business district of Milan, Italy.
* [[Aalto University]], a Finnish university formed by merging [[Helsinki University of Technology]], [[Helsinki School of Economics]] and [[University of Art and Design Helsinki|TaiK]] in 2010, is named after Alvar Aalto.
* An Alvar Aallon katu (Alvar Aalto Street) can be found in five different Finnish cities: Helsinki, Jyväskylä, Oulu, Kotka and Seinäjoki.
* In 2017, the Alvar Aalto Museum launched Alvar Aalto Cities, that is, a network of cities containing buildings by Alvar Aalto.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.alvaraalto.fi/en/information/aalto-cities/|title=Alvar Aalto Cities|website=Alvar Aalto Foundation &#124; Alvar Aalto -säätiö}}</ref> The objective of the network is to increase awareness of Aalto's work both in Finland and abroad. It is hoped that by combining forces on communications and marketing, the visibility and accessibility of exhibitions, tourist attractions and events will be improved. To date, the network city members are: Aalborg, Alajärvi, Espoo, Eura, Hamina, Helsinki, Imatra, Jyväskylä, Järvenpää, Kotka, Kouvola, Lahti, Oulu, Paimio, Pori, Raseborg, Rovaniemi, Seinäjoki, Turku, Vantaa and Varkaus. It is estimated that in total there would be 40 cities worldwide that would qualify as an Alvar Aalto City.

==See also==
*[[Architecture of Finland]]
*[[Aino Aalto]]
*[[Elissa Aalto]]

==References==
===Notes===
{{Reflist|20em}}

===Sources===
{{Refbegin|2}}

* {{cite book | last = Aalto | first = Alvar | editor1-last = Schildt | editor1-first = Goran  | title = Alvar Aalto in His Own Words | year = 1998 | publisher = Rizzoli | location = Helsinki, Finland | isbn = 978-0-8478-2080-1 }}
* {{cite web | author = Alvar Aalto Museum | website = www.alvaraalto.fi | url = http://www.alvaraalto.fi/ | year = 2011 |title = Alvar Aalto Museo |trans-title=Alvar Aalto Museum }}
* {{cite book | last = Anderson | first = Stanford | editor1-last = Fenske | editor1-first = Gail  | editor2-last = Fixler | editor2-first = David |   title = Aalto and America | year = 2013 | publisher = MIT Press | location = Cambridge, MASS | isbn = 978-0-300-17600-1 }}
* {{cite web|author=Anon |year=2014 |url=http://www.ntnu.no/forskning/aeresdoktorer |title=Honorary Doctors |website=NTNU |language=no |access-date=10 September 2014 |archive-date=2 January 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140102200919/http://www.ntnu.no/forskning/aeresdoktorer |url-status=dead }}
* {{cite web | author = Anon | url = http://architect.architecture.sk/alvar-aalto-architect/alvar-aalto-architect.php | publisher = Architecture.sk | website = architect.architecture.sk | title = Alvar Aalto : architect biography | year = 2013 }}
* {{cite web | author=Anon |publisher = Vitra Design Museum | title = Biography Alvar Aalto 1898–1976 | url = http://www.design-museum.de/fileadmin/user_upload/Bilder/Ausstellungen/A62_Aalto/Biografie_Alvar_Aalto_EN.pdf | ref = {{harvid|Vitra Design Museum}} }}
* {{cite encyclopedia | last = Boyce | first = Charles | year = 1985 | encyclopedia = Dictionary of Furniture | publisher = Henry Holt and Co. | location = New York, NY | title = Aalto, Hugo Alvar Henrik (1899–1976) | isbn = 0-8050-0752-0 }}
* {{cite encyclopedia | last = Brown | first = Theodore M. | title = Alto, Hugo Alvar Henrik | encyclopedia = McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Art | editor-first = Bernard S. | editor-last = Myers | publisher = McGraw-Hill Book Company | location = New York, NY | volume = I: AA-Ceylon | year = 1969 | lccn = 68026314 }}
* {{cite encyclopedia | editor-last = Chilvers | editor-first = Ian | title = Aalto, Alvar | encyclopedia = The Oxford Dictionary of Art | edition = 3rd | publisher = Oxford University Press | location = Oxford, UK | isbn = 0-19-860476-9 | orig-year = 1988 | year = 2004 }}
* {{cite book | last = Enckell | first = Ulla | title = Alvar Aalto: Taiteilija – Konstnären – The Artist | location = Helsinki | publisher = Amos Anderson Museum | year = 1998 | isbn = 952-9531-25-7 }}
* {{cite book | last = Heporauta | first = Arne | title = Alvar Aalto: Arkkitehti / Architect 1898–1976 | year = 1999 | publisher = Rakennustieto | location = Helsinki, Finland | edition = 1st | isbn = 951-682-546-X | language = fi }}
* {{cite book | editor-last = Eisenbrand | editor-first = Jochen | title = Alvar Aalto – Second Nature | publisher = Vitra Design Museum | location = Weil am Rhein | year = 2014 | isbn = 978-3-931936-93-8 }}
* {{cite book | editor-last = Hipeli | editor-first = Mia | title = Paimio Sanatorium 1929-33: Alvar Aalto Architect Volume 5 | year = 2014 | publisher = Alvar Aalto Foundation | location = Helsinki | isbn = 978-952-267-074-8 }}
* {{cite book | editor-last = Holma | editor-first = Marjo | title = House of Culture | year = 2015 | publisher = Alvar Aalto Museum | location = Jyväskylä }}
* {{cite book | last = Jencks | first = Charles | title = Modern Movements in Architecture | url = https://archive.org/details/modernmovementsi00char | url-access = registration | location = Garden City, NY | publisher = Anchor Press | year = 1973 | isbn = 978-0-385-02554-6 }}
* {{cite book | editor-last = Kairamo | editor-first = Maija | title = Alvar Aalto Library in Vyborg: Saving a Modern Masterpiece | year = 2009 | publisher = Rakennustieto | location = Helsinki | isbn = 978-951-682-938-1 }}
* {{cite book | editor-last = Korvenmaa | editor-first = Pekka | title = Sunila 1936-54: Alvar Aalto Architect Volume 7 | year = 2004 | publisher = Alvar Aalto Foundation | location = Helsinki | isbn = 952-5498-03-4 }}
* {{cite book | editor-last = Laaksonen | editor-first = Esa | title = Maison Louis Carré 1956-61: Alvar Aalto Architect Volume 20 | year = 2008 | publisher = Alvar Aalto Foundation | location = Helsinki | isbn = 978-952-5371-43-7 }}
* {{cite encyclopedia | last = Labò | first = Mario | title = Aalto, Hugo Alvar Henrik | encyclopedia = Encyclopedia of World Art | publisher = McGraw Hill Book Company, Inc. | location = New York, NY | lccn = 59013433 | year = 1968 | orig-year = 1959 | editor-first = Robert W. | editor-last = Crandall | volume = I: Aalto-Asia Minor, Western }}
* {{cite book | last = McCarter | first = Robert | title = Frank Lloyd Wright | publisher = Reaktion Books | location = London | year = 2006 | isbn = 978-1-86189-268-3 }}
* {{cite journal | last = Mikkola | first = Kirmo | title = Suomalaisen arkkitehtuurin ajankohtaista pyrkimyksiä | journal = Arkkitehti | volume = 66 | year = 1969 | language = fi | pages = 30–37 }}
* {{cite book | editor-last = Paatero | editor-first = Kristiina | title = The Line – Original Drawings from the Alvar Aalto Archive | year = 1993 | publisher = Alvar Aalto Foundation | location = Helsinki | isbn = 951-9229-81-7 }}
* {{cite book | editor-last = Paavilainen | editor-first = Simo | title = Nordisk Klassicism – 1910–1930 |trans-title=Nordic Classicism | year = 1982 | publisher = Museum of Finnish Architecture | location = Helsinki | isbn = 951-9229-21-3 }}
* {{cite book | last = Pallasmaa | first = Juhani | title = Alvar Aalto: Villa Mairea 1938–39 | year = 1998 | publisher = Ram Pubns & Dist | edition = 2nd | isbn = 978-952-5371-31-4 }}
* {{cite book | last = Pelkonen | first = Eeva-Liisa  | title = Alvar Aalto: Architecture, Modernity, and Geopolitics | publisher = Yale University Press | location = New Haven, CT | year = 2009 | isbn = 978-0-300-11428-7 }}
* {{cite book | last = Schildt | first = Göran | title = Alvar Aalto, A life's work: Architecture, Design and Art | publisher = Otava Pub. Co | location = Helsinki, Finland | year = 1994 | isbn = 978-951-1-12975-2 }}
* {{cite book | last = Suominen-Kokkonen | first = Renja | title = Aino and Alvar Aalto – A Shared Journey – Interpretations of an everyday modernism | publisher = Alvar Aalto Foundation | location = Helsinki | year = 2007 | isbn = 978-952-5371-32-1 }}
* {{cite book | last1 = Tafuri | first1 = Manfredo | last2 = Co | first2 = Francesco Dal | title = Architettura contemporanea |trans-title=Modern Architecture | location = Milan | publisher = Electa | year = 1976 | language = it }}
* {{cite encyclopedia | editor-last = Thorne | editor-first = John | encyclopedia = [[Chambers Biographical Dictionary]] | isbn = 0-550-18022-2 | title = Aalto, Alvar | publisher = Chambers | edition = Revised | year = 1984 }}
* {{cite book | last = Weston | first = Richard | title = Alvar Aalto | publisher = Phaidon Press Limited | location = London, UK | year = 1997 | orig-year = 1995 | isbn = 978-0-7148-3710-9 }}
* {{cite web | title = Book of Members, 1780–2010: Chapter A | url = http://www.amacad.org/publications/BookofMembers/ChapterA.pdf | publisher = American Academy of Arts and Sciences | access-date = 13 November 2013 | year = 2013 | first = Michele | last = Tourney }}

{{Refend}}

==Further reading==
Göran Schildt has written and edited many books on Aalto, the most well-known being the three-volume biography, usually referred to as the definitive biography on Aalto.
* {{cite book | last = Schildt | first = Göran | title = Alvar Aalto. The Early Years | url = https://archive.org/details/alvaraaltoearlyy0000schi | url-access = registration | publisher = Rizzoli | location = New York, NY | year = 1984 | isbn = 978-0-8478-0531-0 }}
* {{cite book | last = Schildt | first = Göran | title = Alvar Aalto. The Decisive Years | publisher = Rizzoli | location = New York, NY | year = 1987 | isbn = 978-0-8478-0711-6 }}
* {{cite book | last = Schildt | first = Göran | title = Alvar Aalto. The Mature Years | publisher = Rizzoli | location = New York, NY | year = 1991 | isbn = 978-0-8478-1329-2 }}
* {{cite book | author = Alvar Aalto Archive Staff | title = The Architectural Drawings of Alvar Aalto 1917–1939: Aalto's Own Home in Helsinki, the Finnish Pavilion at the 1937 World's Fair in Paris, and Other Buildings and Projects, 1932–1937 | year = 1994 | publisher = Routledge | series = Garland Architectural Archives }}
* {{cite book | last = Schildt | first = Göran | title = Alvar Aalto: The Complete Catalogue of Architecture, Design and Art | publisher = Rizzoli | location = New York, NY | year = 1994 | isbn = 978-0-8478-1818-1 | ref=none }}

'''Other books'''
* {{ cite book | first1 = Céline | last1 = Dietziker | first2 = Lukas | last2 = Gruntz | title = Aalto in Detail. A Catalogue of Components | url = https://birkhauser.com/de/books/9783035623345 | publisher = Birkhäuser Verlag | year = 2022 | isbn = 978-3-03562-332-1 }}
* {{ cite book | first = Esa | last = Laaksonen | title = Alvar Aalto Architect | publisher = Rakennustieto Publishing | year = 2013 | volume = 5: Paimio Sanatorium 1928–32 | isbn = 978-951-682-954-1 }}
* {{ cite book | last1 = Holma | first1 = Maija | last2 = Pallasmaa | first2 = Juhani | last3 = Suominen-Kokkonen | first3 = Renja | title = Alvar Aalto Architect | publisher = Alvar Aalto Foundation | year = 2003 | volume = 6: The Aalto House 1935–36 | isbn = 978-952-5498-01-1 }}
* {{ cite book | editor-first = Pekka | editor-last = Korvenmaa | title = Alvar Aalto Architect | publisher = Alvar Aalto Foundation | year = 2007 | volume = 7: Sunila 1936–1954 | isbn = 978-952-5498-03-5 }}
* {{ cite book | first = Alvar | last = Aalto| title = Alvar Aalto Architect | publisher = Alvar Aalto Foundation | year = 2008 | volume = 13: University of Technology, Otaniemi 1949–74 | isbn = 978-952-5498-08-0 }}
* {{ cite book | first = Mia | last = Hipeli | title = Alvar Aalto Architect | year = 2009 | volume = 16: Jyväskylä University 1951–71 | asin = B002QH2LMK }}
* {{ cite book | first = Alvar | last = Aalto| title = Alvar Aalto Architect | publisher = Alvar Aalto Foundation | year = 2008 | volume = 20: Maison Louis Carre 1956–63 | isbn = 978-952-5498-06-6 }}
* {{ cite book | last = Heporauta | first = Arne | title = Alvar Aalto Arkkitehti: 1898–1976 | publisher = Rakennustieto Oy | location = Helsinki, Finland | year = 1998 | isbn = 978-951-682-546-8 | language = fi }}
* {{ cite book | last = Fleig | first = Karl | title = Alvar Aalto | publisher = Praeger Publishers | year = 1975 | isbn = 978-0-275-49660-9 }}
* {{ cite book | last = Pearson | first = Paul David | title = Alvar Aalto and the International Style | publisher = Whitney Library of Design | location = New York | year = 1978 | isbn = 0-8230-7023-9 }}
* {{cite book | last = Porphyrios | first = Demetri | title = Sources of Modern Eclecticism | publisher = St. Martin's Press | year = 1982 | isbn = 978-0-312-74673-5 }}
* {{cite book | last = Pallasmaa | first = Juhani | title = Aalto: Alvar Aalto Furniture | publisher = MIT Press | year = 1985 | isbn = 978-0-262-13206-0 }}
* {{cite book | first1 = Kirmo | last1 = Mikkola | editor-last = Pallasmaa | editor-first = Juhani | title = Alvar Aalto in the Finnish Context | publisher = Routlegde | location = London | year = 2025 | isbn = 978-1-032-93956-8}}
* {{cite book | first1 = Pekka | last1 = Korvenmaa | first2 = Marc | last2 = Treib | editor-last = Reed | editor-first = Peter | title = Alvar Aalto: Between Humanism and Materialism | publisher = The Museum of Modern Art | location = New York, NY | year = 2002 | isbn = 978-0-87070-107-8}}
* {{cite book | last = Quantrill | first = Malcolm | title = Alvar Aalto: A Critical Study | publisher = Secker & Warburg | year = 1983 | isbn = 0-941533-35-2 }}
* {{cite book | editor-last = Ruusuvuori | editor-first = Aarno | title = Alvar Aalto 1898–1976 | publisher = The Museum of Finnish Architecture | location = Helsinki, Finland | year = 1978 | asin = B0000ED4GS }}
* Jormakka, Kari; Gargus, Jacqueline; Graf, Douglas ''The Use and Abuse of Paper. Essays on Alvar Aalto''. Datutop 20: Tampere 1999.
* {{cite book | last = Connah | first = Roger | title = Aaltomania | publisher = Rakennustieto Publishing | year = 2008 | isbn = 978-951-682-613-7 }}
*{{cite book|title=Design of the 20th Century|first1=Charlotte|last1=Fiell|first2=Peter|last2=Fiell|publisher=Taschen|location=Köln|edition=25th anniversary|year=2005|pages=12–17|isbn=9783822840788|oclc=809539744}}

'''Aalto research'''
* The extensive archives of Alvar Aalto are nowadays kept at the [https://web.archive.org/web/20160118041047/http://www.alvaraalto.fi/museum/ Alvar Aalto Museum], Jyväskylä, Finland. Material is also available from the former offices of Aalto, at Tiilimäki 20, Helsinki, nowadays the headquarters of the [http://www.alvaraalto.fi/ Alvar Aalto Foundation.]
* Since 1995 the Alvar Aalto Museum and Aalto Academy has published a journal, [https://web.archive.org/web/20061003220111/http://www.alvaraalto.fi/ptah/ ''Ptah''], which is devoted not only to Aalto scholarship but also to architecture generally as well as theory, design and art.

==External links==
{{External links|section|date=July 2022}}
{{Commons and category}}
{{Wikiquote|Alvar Aalto}}
'''Archives'''
* [http://www.alvaraalto.fi/ Alvar Aalto Foundation] Custodian of Aalto's architectural drawings and writings.
* [http://findingaids.cul.columbia.edu/ead/nnc-a/ldpd_6322394/ Institute of International Education, Kaufmann Conference Rooms architectural drawings and papers, 1961–1966].[http://library.columbia.edu/locations/avery/da.html/ Held by the Department of Drawings & Archives], [http://library.columbia.edu/locations/avery.html/ Avery Architectural & Fine Arts Library, Columbia University].

'''Resources'''
* {{MoMA artist|34}}
* [http://www.finnishdesign.com/finnish-designers/alvar-aalto Alvar Aalto biography] at FinnishDesign.com
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20090312081635/http://www.short-biographies.com/biographies/AlvarAalto.html Short Biographies: Alvar Aalto] 
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20061003221147/http://www.alvaraalto.fi/alvar/biblio.htm Aalto bibliography] – From the official site
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20071021021501/http://www.designdictionary.co.uk/en/aalto.htm Alvar Aalto – Design Dictionary] Illustrated article about Alvar Aalto
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20040603124907/http://www.iespana.es/legislaciones/alvar_aalto.htm Alvar Aalto] Biography in Spanish about Alvar Aalto
* [https://archive.today/20121210041920/http://www.modernfurnitureclassics.com/index.php/main_page/editorial/title/Title%2015 Modern Furniture and the history of Moulded Plywood] Role played by Alvar Alto in the use of Moulded plywood for furniture.
* {{HDS|8115}}
* [https://www.emptycanon.org/architect/59 Alvar Aalto on Empty Canon]
* [https://archive.today/20130904020411/http://en.wikiartmap.com/view/32050/-/-/alvar_aalto.html Map of the Alvar Aalto works – Wikiartmap, the art map of the public space]
* {{cite web
| title = Alvar Aalto and Solar Geometry
| date = 30 April 2014
| publisher = solarhousehistory.com
| url = http://solarhousehistory.com/blog/2014/4/30/alvar-aalto-and-solar-geometry }}
* {{BLF|1408|Alvar Aalto|URN=NBN:fi:sls-4321-1416928956927}}

'''Catalogs'''
* [http://www.artek.fi Artek.fi], Aalto furniture; company founded by Aalto.
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20070928112116/http://www.iittala.com/web/iittalacom.nsf/vwsearchview_en?SearchView&LANG=en&SearchOrder=4&Query=%28aalto%29 Alvar Aalto glassware], iittala.com
* [http://www.moma.org/exhibitions/1998/aalto/ Between Humanism and Materialism] New York Museum of Modern Art exhibit site. Contains an especially useful timeline of his life and career.

'''Buildings and reviews'''
* [http://www.checkonsite.com/browse/architect/featured-architects/alvar-aalto/ Checkonsite.com] – Alvar Aalto architecture guide.
* [https://www.theguardian.com/books/2007/mar/17/architecture.modernism "Ahead of the curve"] ''[[The Guardian]]'' – Fiona MacCarthy recalls a shared lunch of smoked reindeer and schnapps in his elegant Helsinki restaurant
* [http://www.bluffton.edu/~sullivanm/aalto/aalto.html Baker House]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20080628205605/http://www.nordjyllandskunstmuseum.dk/Default.aspx?ID=656 North Jutland Museum]
* [https://archive.today/20130111165200/http://puredesign.it/mygallery/list.php?exhibition=10&lang=eng S. Maria Assunta – Riola BO Italy]

{{Sonning Prize laureates}}
{{Portal bar|Biography|Finland|Art|Architecture}}
{{Authority control (arts)}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Aalto, Alvar}}
[[Category:Alvar Aalto| ]]
[[Category:1898 births]]
[[Category:1976 deaths]]
[[Category:People from Kuortane]]
[[Category:People from Vaasa Province (Grand Duchy of Finland)]]
[[Category:People of the Finnish Civil War (White side)]]
[[Category:20th-century Finnish architects]]
[[Category:Finnish furniture designers]]
[[Category:Finnish industrial designers]]
[[Category:Modernist architects]]
[[Category:International style architects]]
[[Category:Congrès International d'Architecture Moderne members]]
[[Category:Modernist architecture in Finland]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Royal Gold Medal]]
[[Category:Aalto University alumni]]
[[Category:Fellows of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences]]
[[Category:Members of the Academy of Arts, Berlin]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Prince Eugen Medal]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Pour le Mérite (civil class)]]
[[Category:Burials at Hietaniemi Cemetery]]
[[Category:Recipients of the AIA Gold Medal]]
[[Category:Honorary Fellows of the American Institute of Architects]]