Rare Alvar Aalto 'Chair of Our Times' 'Aikaamme Tuote' in Stained Birch, 1929

This minimalist functionalist chair known as "The product of our time", is a rare gem and is the first chair born of the Alvar Aalto - Otto Korhonen collaboration that went on to influence and change how chairs were made. Very clean-lined, simplified stained and lacquered birch plywood designed in 1928-29 by Alvar Aalto and manufactured by Otto Korhonen - Huonekalu ja Rakennustyötehdas.

In 1932 "The homemaker's guide" was the first time the young Alvar Aalto's name was mentioned as the designer of the chair. Before this date, more weight was given to the already established and much more experienced Otto Korhonen.

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.