Aalto and Nature (eds. Tom Simons & Rainer Knapas; Birkhäuser 2026) explores the artistic presence of nature and landscape in Alvar Aalto’s architecture. With contributions by Vilhelm Helander, Johan Mårtelius, and Teija Isohauta, as well as photographic works by Elina Brotherus.
Alvar Aalto’s work is strongly influenced by his experience of nature – especially in the deep forests of his Finnish homeland. But he also visited the sites of antiquity on several trips to the Mediterranean and the Orient. This book explores the dominant theme of nature in Aalto’s work in a variety of ways. Interestingly enough, it is little known that he also worked as a landscape architect and created the garden for Villa Mairea together with the architecture as a Gesamtkunstwerk. Richly illustrated essays describe for example Aalto’s garden art and the influences of the Mediterranean landscape on Elissa, Aino and Alvar Aalto. The wonderful photographs by Elina Brotherus, mostly taken especially for this book, show Aalto’s typical intertwining of interior and exterior spaces and convey the magic of the Finnish landscape.
– Aalto and Nature (eds. Tom Simons & Rainer Knapas; Birkhäuser, 2026), excerpt from the book description from the publisher’s website
The text is in English. The book is profusely illustrated with photographs, architectural drawings, and other visual material.
