Alvar Aalto

Alvar Aalto was a Finnish architect and designer regarded as one of the central figures in bringing a humanized, organic sensibility to modernist architecture and Nordic design. Rather than the strict rectilinear vocabulary of much international style modernism, Aalto favored curved forms, natural materials and careful attention to light and landscape, evident in works such as the Paimio Sanatorium, designed around the needs of tuberculosis patients, and Finlandia Hall in Helsinki. He was equally influential as a furniture and glass designer, developing bent plywood chairs for the company Artek and the asymmetrically curved Savoy vase, which remains one of the most recognized objects in twentieth century design. Aalto's buildings and objects are widely credited with shaping what became known internationally as Scandinavian design.