Pair of Alvar Aalto War Time Chairs With Finger Joints Model 69, Artek 1940s

A rare pair of Alvar Aalto model 69 chairs, manufactured during the 2nd World War years in Finland in the 1940s. The iconic L-leg is different in these pieces compared to the normal. As a result of the war, Finland had a shortage of resources including glue, which was normally used in these chairs, so Aalto came up with a new design called the finger joint, to save recources during difficult times.

Although these can be used as normal chairs, they are also very nice collector's items. We have 2 chairs, and both are stamped "Artek Aalto design" .

*Reupholstered in high quality white fabric. We can dismantle and mark the legs for shipping.

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.