Artek

Founded in Helsinki by Alvar and Aino Aalto, Maire Gullichsen and Nils-Gustav Hahl to sell Aalto’s furniture and promote modern culture. Stool 60 and the Paimio chair are the best known.

Artek was founded so that Aalto's furniture in bent birch could be sold internationally, but also to promote modern art and design through exhibitions. The name joins art and technology, in the spirit of the time.

Alvar Aalto developed the technique of bending solid wood with the joiner Otto Korhonen, and the L-shaped leg became the basis of stools, chairs and tables made since the 1930s. Artek later took on designers such as Ilmari Tapiovaara and works with contemporary designers.

Labels and stamps under the seat; early pieces were made by Huonekalu-ja Rakennustyötehdas in Turku.

• Furniture
• Mirrors and interiors
• Alvar Aalto