Pair of Alvar Aalto Commissioned Sconces in White & Brass, Valaistustyö 1950s

This model wall lamp was originally modified from a similar looking ceiling lamp. It was mostly used in public buildings that Alvar Aalto designed. For example, these wall lamps can be found in The Social Insurance Institutions of Finland. They were placed between the different working spaces of the employees working areas. Please refer to archive picture.

These lamps are seen quite rarely on the design market. Let your imagination fly when decorating your house or work space, for it is a fact that inspiration comes from beautiful peaceful surroundings. The lamps have a couple of small dents (please see video for details), but have a beautiful vintage patina, and are in quite good condition, and basically ready for use immediately.

Alvar Aalto (1898-1976) is a world famous architect and designer. He was well known for designing his own line of furniture and lighting for the numerous buildings that he designed worldwide. His work includes architecture, furniture, textiles, glassware, sculptures and paintings. He never regarded himself as an artist, seeing painting and sculpture as branches of a tree that stem from architecture.

Aalto's career from the 1920s-1970s is reflected in the styles of his work, ranging from Classicism to Modernism and to an organic style from the 1940s onwards. Aalto and his wife Aino were famous for not only designing the buildings, but the interior surfaces, furniture, lamps and even the glassware for those buildings. Aalto's furniture designs are Scandinavian Modernism at its best, especially his technical innovations on the bent plywood furniture, which in turn had a great impact on Mid-Century Modernist furniture.

Aalto's works are highly sought after and some fetch record prices in auctions and the design world. Of course his works are also widely collected and can be found in numerous private collections and famous museums.