Artek and the Aaltos: Creating a Modern World is a stunningly comprehensive and beautiful catalogue for an exhibition that was held at the Bard Graduate Center, New York, in 2016. The catalogue offers an in-depth survey of the legendary Finnish design company Artek, and its founders, Alvar Aalto (1898–1975) and Aino Marsio Aalto (1894–1949).
The book, edited by Nina Stritzler-Levine, is the first English-language publication on the topic. The comprehensive contents have been authored by leading scholars of design history and architecture: Harry Charrington, Juhani Pallasmaa, Susanna Pettersson. Arthur Rüegg, Renja Suominen-Kokkonen and Rasmus Waern. The amply illustrated catalogue showcases more than 300 objects, including furniture, glassware, lighting, design sketches, drawings, textile swatches, and photographs. The essays study the company history and prehistory, Artek’s product line and the design, manufacture and retail processes, Aalto’s standardisation principles, Aino Marsio-Aalto’s pivotal role as creative director, and Artek’s art gallery and its radical exhibition policy.
For further information, please visit the Artek web page with photographs of the exhibition at www.artek.fi/news/pressreleases/636.
The two copies for sale are in mint condition, as good as new.
