Aino Aalto

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Aino Aalto [ ˈɑi̯nɔ ˈɑːltɔ ], actually Aino Maria Marsio-Aalto (born Mandelin , Marsio after 1906 ; born January 25, 1894 in Helsinki ; † January 13, 1949 ibid), was a Finnish architect and designer .

Life

Aino Marsio finished school in 1913 at Helsingin Suomalainen Tyttökoulu , Helsinki's Finnish girls' school. In the same year she began studying architecture at the Technical Institute in Helsinki, which she completed in 1920. At the same time she began to work practically for the architect Oiva Kallio in Helsinki. In 1923 Marsio went to Jyväskylä . There she initially worked in the architecture office of Gunnar Achilles Wahlroos, but in the following years she was more drawn to the workplace of the young architect Alvar Aalto . The two of them officially married in 1925. Like so many Scandinavian architects and designers, the Aaltos spent their honeymoon in Italy. The knowledge of traditional Italian architecture acquired there influenced the work of the team of architects.

In 1927 they set up their studio in Turku in collaboration with the architect Erik Bryggman . Six years later the Aaltos went back to Helsinki. With their first house construction, a house to live and work in in Munkkiniemi, a suburb of Helsinki, the Aaltos also implemented their visions for themselves.

The role of Aino Aalto in contributing to her husband's worldwide fame has not yet been fully explored. The Aalto “look” characterized narrow, high summer villas in the classic Nordic style, especially in the 1930s. The best example is the Aaltos' own summer home, Villa Flora in Alajärvi from 1926, which was expanded in 1938. For the Villa Mairea in Noormarkku (1937-39) drew Aino Aalto responsible for the interior design; She also designed furniture such as for the Paimio Sanatorium in the years 1927 to 1929.

In 1936 she won the gold medal against her husband at the Triennale in Milan with her Aino Aalto glasses . She also created various lens shapes for the Finnish design company Iittala, which is still represented in Germany today. Her Aino-Aalto glasses, copied a lot, are still selling today.

The burial place of Aino, Alvar and Elissa Aalto in the Hietaniemi Cemetery in Helsinki

With Alvar Aalto she combined marriage, profession and entrepreneurship: in 1935 the Aaltos, together with Maire Gullichsen (client of Villa Mairea) and Nils-Gustav Hahlin, founded Artek , a company that continues to sell Aaltos lamps and furniture to this day. Aino Aalto was Artek's chief designer , and she was also responsible for management. For Artek she drew groundbreaking furniture and equipment .

The architectural historian Ulrike Eichhorn writes about them:

“Aino Aalto challenged people to rethink design, to accept radically new lines and shapes that still meet basic needs. Their design philosophy is of a timeless elegance. Her life's work ranges from architecture and photography to various areas of applied art. In addition to glass objects, she also designed ceramics , lighting and fabrics. "

Aino Aalto died on January 13, 1949, a few days before the age of 55 in her native Helsinki. She found her final resting place in a family grave in the Hietaniemi cemetery in Helsinki, where her husband and his second wife Elissa were later buried.

Picture gallery

  • Aino aalto glass

  • Parish center in Pöytyä

  • Restaurant Savoy (Helsinki) by Aino and Alvar Aalto in cooperation with Dora Jung and Artek (furniture)

Web links

Commons : Aino Aalto  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Ulrike Eichhorn: Architects. Your job. Your life . Edition Eichhorn, Berlin 2013, ISBN 978-3-8442-6702-0 .
personal data
SURNAME Aalto, Aino
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Mandelin, Aino (maiden name); Marsio, Aino; Marsio-Aalto, Aino (married name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Finnish architect and designer
DATE OF BIRTH January 25, 1894
PLACE OF BIRTH Helsinki
DATE OF DEATH January 13, 1949
Place of death Helsinki