Set of 2 Alvar Aalto Benches "153" for Artek in Birch, 1940s
View Similar Items
Set of 2 Alvar Aalto Benches "153" for Artek in Birch, 1940s
About the Item
- Creator:Alvar Aalto (Designer)
- Design:Bench 153L-Leg Series
- Dimensions:Height: 17.33 in (44 cm)Width: 15.75 in (40 cm)Depth: 44.49 in (113 cm)
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:circa 1940
- Condition:
- Seller Location:Brussels, BE
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU2265315201252
Alvar Aalto
An architect and designer, Alvar Aalto deserves an immense share of the credit for bringing Scandinavian modernism to a prominent place in the global arena. In both his buildings and in his vintage furniture — which ranges from chairs, tables and lighting to table- and glassware — Aalto’s sensitivity to the natural world and to organic forms and materials tempered the hardness of rationalist design.
Relatively few Aalto buildings exist outside Finland. (Just four exist in the United States, and only one — the sinuous 1945 Baker House dormitory at M.I.T. — is easily visited.) International attention came to Aalto, whose surname translates to English as “wave,” primarily through his furnishings.
Instead of the tubular metal framing favored by the Bauhaus designers and Le Corbusier, Aalto insisted on wood. His aesthetic is best represented by the Paimio armchair, developed in 1930 as part of his overall design of a Finnish tuberculosis sanatorium. Comfortable, yet light enough to be easily moved by patients, the chair’s frame is composed of two laminated birch loops; the seat and back are formed from a single sheet of plywood that scrolls under at the headrest and beneath the knees, creating a sort of pillow effect. Aalto’s use of plywood had enormous influence on Charles and Ray Eames, Arne Jacobsen, Marcel Breuer and others who later came to the material.
Concerned with keeping up standards of quality in the production of his designs, Aalto formed the still-extant company Artek in 1935, along with his wife, Aino Aalto, whose glass designs were made by the firm. In the latter medium, in 1936 the Aaltos together created the iconic, undulating Savoy vase, so-called for the luxe Helsinki restaurant for which the piece was designed.
Artek also produced Aalto pendants and other lighting designs, many of which — such as the Angel’s Wing floor lamp and the Beehive pendant — incorporate a signature Aalto detail: shades made of concentric enameled-metal rings graduated down in diameter. The effect of the technique is essential Alvar Aalto: at once precise, simple, and somehow poetic.
Find a collection of vintage Alvar Aalto stools, vases, dining tables and other furniture on 1stDibs.
- Mid-Century Modern Trolley 901 by Alvar Aalto, 1950sBy Alvar AaltoLocated in Brussels, BEMid-Century Modern trolley 901 by Alvar Aalto, 1950s.Category
Vintage 1950s Finnish Serving Tables
MaterialsWood
- 2 Benches New Cream White Fabric with Black Metal Legs, Price for OneLocated in Brussels, BENew cream white fabric with black metal legs. Measures: Benches 125cm Price for one.Category
Mid-20th Century European Mid-Century Modern Benches
MaterialsMetal
- Large Wooden Bench, 1990sLocated in Brussels, BELarge wooden bench, 1990s.Category
1990s Mid-Century Modern Benches
MaterialsWood
- Pair of Mid-Century Italian Brass Bench, New UpholsteryLocated in Brussels, BEPair of mid-century Italian brass bench - New upholstery.Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Benches
MaterialsBrass
- Two Seater Bench with TabletLocated in Brussels, BETwo-seat bench with tablet.Category
Vintage 1970s European Mid-Century Modern Benches
MaterialsMetal
- Set of 8 Brutalist Oak Chairs, 1940sLocated in Brussels, BESet of 8 brutalist oak chairs - 1940s.Category
Vintage 1940s Belgian Chairs
MaterialsOak
- Alvar Aalto Bench Model 153B, Artek 1970sBy Artek, Alvar AaltoLocated in Helsinki, FIIconic bench model 153 designed by Alvar Aalto and manufactured by Artek in the 1960s. The bench is in very good original condition. As with a lot of Alvar Aalto's works the beauty...Category
Vintage 1960s Finnish Scandinavian Modern Benches
MaterialsBirch
- Vintage Alvar Alto Low Bench 153A of Birch by Artek in Finland 1980s.By Artek, Alvar AaltoLocated in Aarhus C, DKFinish Alvar Aalto (1898-1976) vintage low bench. The bench is made of solid birch with lacquer in the 1980s. by Artek in Finland. Very nice vintage...Category
Mid-20th Century Finnish Mid-Century Modern Benches
MaterialsBirch
- Alvar Aalto Artek Mid-Century Modern 153 BenchLocated in New York, NYAlvar Aalto (Finnish, 1898 - 1976) for Artek Mid-Century Modern 153 bench with natural wood top and legs, made in 2014, marked on bottom. Dimensions: 17.25" H x 44" W x 15.75" D. ...Category
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Benches
MaterialsWood
- Rare Alvar Aalto Stool 60 In Birch, Artek, 1940sBy Artek, Alvar Aalto, Huonekalu-Ja Rakennustyötedas OyLocated in Helsinki, FIAn iconic red model 60 stool in birch and beautiful patina. Designed by Alvar Aalto for Artek in the 1940s, this design has definitely stood the test of time, as it is still in produ...Category
Vintage 1940s Finnish Scandinavian Modern Stools
MaterialsBirch
- Alvar Aalto BenchBy Alvar AaltoLocated in Esbjerg, DKAlvar Aalto bench in birch.Category
Vintage 1950s Danish Scandinavian Modern Benches
MaterialsBirch
$1,103 - 1940s Finnish Dining Chair by Alvar Aalto for ArtekBy Artek, Alvar AaltoLocated in Sagaponack, NYA dining chair in laminated birch with newly upholstered black leather seat and back.Category
Vintage 1940s Finnish Scandinavian Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsLeather, Birch
$5,400 / item
Recently Viewed
View AllRead More
The Very Modern Love Story of Mid-Century Design Duo Alvar and Aino Aalto
A power couple before the term existed, the influential pair made work that still resonates today.
What Makes Scandinavian Modernism and Nordic Design So Irresistible?
Andrew Duncanson, founder of the Stockholm- and London-based gallery Modernity, weighs in on the masters of mid-century furniture and decorative arts.